Pilot 4.3

Multi-modal correlative microscopy platform (UNISALENTO). Development of a multi-modal correlative microscopy platform for in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo biological imaging. The imaging workflow will enable an extremely wide resolution range, spanning from the single molecule scale to clinical imaging in the small animal model (Pathology). 

The joint laboratories of Unisalento/CNR Nanotec (Lecce) will develop a multiscale and multimodal imaging methodology for in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo biological sample analysis. This methodology will be obtained by combining the information from different microscopic techniques. The correlation of these data will be essential for understanding disease mechanisms and developing therapies. The correlative microscopy platform will also include a modern system of high-spatial-resolution electron microscopy (< 4 nm) capable of overcoming the limitations of conventional electron microscopy, such as the reduced field of view associated with an extremely high acquisition time for massive samples. In particular, an innovative approach will be proposed for the ultrastructural analysis of massive samples of biological tissues using a high-throughput array tomography technique. In the joint laboratories of Unisalento/CNR Nanotec (Lecce), a state-of-the-art electron microscope equipped with multiple electron beams will be used. This microscope guarantees an acquisition speed that is almost 100 times faster than a conventional electron microscope. The extremely high scanning speed is an essential prerequisite for the tomographic reconstruction of massive tissue portions, up to 1 mm3, with nanoscale resolution. An advanced methodology for integrating the datasets obtained from the different microscopic techniques will also be developed. Innovative algorithms based on artificial intelligence (AI) will be implemented for image segmentation, feature recognition, and the extraction of quantitative data from the observed samples for the characterization of the ultrastructural aspects related to pathologies.