Human Organ Atlas Hub co-chair Maximilian Ackermann wins the Lennart Nilsson Prize

The Lennart Nilsson Prize, one of the world's most prestigious awards in the field of scientific photography, recognises Ackermann’s achievements in the use of novel, unique high-resolution imaging techniques, and especially the use of Hierarchical Phase-Contrast Tomography (HiP-CT), developed at the ESRF, as well as his artistic view of the human anatomy and its pathological changes.

The coloured scanning electron micrograph of a human lung with COVID19 infection shows numerous alveoli with inflammatory cells (yellow), hemorrhages (red) and hyaline membranes (blue). Credits: M. Ackermann

A pathologist at the University Hospital RWTH Aachen and Helios University Clinics Wuppertal and anatomist at the University Mainz, Ackermann is also co-chair of the Human Organ Atlas hub, where scientists and clinicians use HiP-CT technique at the European Synchrotron (ESRF) to provide valuable insights into human anatomy and diseases such as Covid-19, pulmonary fibrosis and cancer. A compendium of his artistic renderings of the human anatomy and numerous diseases can be found on the website PATHart.org.

The Human Organ Atlas Hub (HOAHub) is an international interdisciplinary scientific collaboration led by University College London (UCL) and the European Synchrotron (ESRF), with the University Medical Center Mainz, and the University Hospital RWTH Aachen. Funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, it aims to create a physical and virtual Hub that uses a novel technique developed at the ESRF, HiP-CT, to scan whole human organs with local cellular resolution, producing a "Human Organ Atlas in Health, Ageing and Disease".

Cinematic rendering of a synchrotron-based HiP-CT scan of Whipple resection specimen (duodenum and pancreas) with a 1.1 cm neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreatic tissue. The mucosa of the stomach and duodenum is visible first, followed by the course of the intrapancreatic bile duct and the exocrine pancreas. An encapsulated, well-vascularized neuroendocrine tumor can be seen within the pancreas. Siemens Healthineers AG kindly provided the cinematic rendering software. Credits: M. Ackermann

The Human Organ Atlas hub represents a significant breakthrough for biomedical imaging. While techniques such as CT, MRI, and tissue biopsies are essential for diagnosis and treatment, they cannot reveal microscopic details across entire organs. The transformative new technique of HiP-CT, enabled by the performances of ESRF-Extremely Brilliant Source —the currently world's brightest X-ray source and the first of its kind 4th-generation high-energy synchrotrons—, overcomes this limitation. By bridging radiology and pathology, HiP-CT delivers previously unattainable insights into human health, advancing diagnostics, research, and medical education and training.

Coloured scanning electron micrograph of the soft hairs of the scalp of a wasp (Vespula vulgaris). When wasps collect nectar from flowers, pollen can stick to their hairs. Credits: M. Ackermann

The Lennart Nilsson Foundation was established in 1998 to award a prize in honour of the world-famous Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson and his extraordinary work. Its main aim is to promote education, training and research in the medical, biological and technical sciences through the use of images. This is achieved through the Lennart Nilsson Award, an international honour presented annually to an individual in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of scientific photography. The prize is endowed with 120,000 Swedish kronor and is presented during the inauguration ceremony at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.

Top image: Coloured scanning electron micrograph of a human gallstone looks like gray slate. Credits