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NEWS

March 2022 ESRFnews

HiP-CT researcher wins Young Scientist Award Claire Walsh, a bio-imaging scientist at University College London (UCL) in the UK, has been awarded the ESRF Young Scientist Award 2022. During the User Meeting on 8 February (see p7), Walsh received the award for her outstanding contribution to the study of human organs by hierarchical phase- contrast tomography (HiP-CT), and her contributions to understanding the microvascular architecture of lungs in severe COVID-19 cases .

Walsh s work with the ESRF her first synchrotron began in early 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when UCL scientist Peter Lee joined forces with medics in Germany and Paul Tafforeau at the ESRF to try to visualise human organs, including those damaged by COVID-19, with unprecedented resolution. She jumped at the opportunity to help analyse the images, and ultimately create an entire human organ atlas via HiP-CT. It was an exciting project, something completely new, she says.

For six months she learned as much as she could about synchrotrons, having endless Zoom calls with Tafforeau, re-analysing images and helping to write proposals for external funding. Meanwhile, Tafforeau was refining the HiP-CT technique, which allows very large samples to be imaged in 3D at a hierarchy of scales, down to the cellular level. Today, Walsh s role in the team is to create an image-analysis pipeline to be the interface between the medics and beamline scientists, finding the best way of processing the images while interpreting the results for the benefit of the medical and biological communities.

Before COVID-19, I had never used a synchrotron, but in less than two years we have achieved so much, she says. Getting this recognition now means that all the work has been worth it.

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ID16A used X-ray nanotomography to investigate the structure of the exine the micrometre-thick outer layer of modern and fossilised bisaccate coniferous pollen. The high-resolution 3D imagery, which could be retrieved without damaging the samples, revealed that cells in the exine had a diameter of about 500 nm, shrinking a little toward the external edge (Sci. Adv. 8 abd0892). The pharmaceutical industry

is researching pollen for drug encapsulation and targeted release. The new findings could help scientists to understand this process, says ESRF materials scientist Marie Capron, as well as provide a template for the design of biomimetic materials. This new quantitative characterisation of the pollen wall is important for present and future applications, she adds.

Nanofoams found in nature

X-ray nanotomography at the ESRF s ID16A beamline has revealed the first biological nanofoam the outer layer of a pollen grain from the pine tree. The hardy structure helps explain why fossilised pollen can remain intact for millions of years, and could inspire new biomimetic materials. Cellular foams exist throughout

nature for example in cork, bone and sponge and have desirable properties, such as superior thermal insulation, strength and elasticity. Until now, however, no biological material has been classified as a solid nanofoam, with individual foam cells on the nanoscale. Working with researchers at the

Natural History Museum in London, UK, and the University of Grenoble Alpes in France, ESRF scientists at

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Taken via X-ray nanotomography, 3D renderings of pollen grains show that they contain nanofoams.

metal-organic magnets, which could be cheaper and better performing than their inorganic counterparts. Taking place over three days,

from 7 9 February, this year s User Meeting had much more to offer than plenaries. On the first day users could choose between a dozen different tutorials, on topics ranging from individual techniques to general skills, such as the use of the ESRF s new BLISS experiment control software. The third day was given over to three microsymposia:

New opportunities for high-pressure science at the ESRF EBS , Ligand and fragment screening: enabling technologies for pressing threats and Perspectives in materials science and engineering: towards a digital and sustainable future . Poster sessions, a commercial exhibition and the presentation of the Young Scientist Award (see left) also featured on day two. There were more than 900

attendees overall, an increase on last year s event.

Until now, no biological material has been classified as a solid nanofoam, with individual foam cells on the nanoscale

There were more than 900 attendees at this year s User Meeting