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@ARTICLE{Dullin:642770,
author = {Dullin, Christian and Reiser, Johanna and Wagner, Willi L.
and Longo, Elena and Prašek, Marko and Contillo, Adriano
and Sodini, Nicola and Dreossi, Diego and Confalonieri,
Paola and Salton, Francesco and Confalonieri, Marco and
Baratella, Elisa and Cova, Maria Assunta and Benke, Claudia
V. and Sagar, Md Motiur Rahman and D’Amico, Lorenzo and
Albers, Jonas and Svetlove, Angelika and Duke, Elizabeth and
Flisikowska, Tatiana and Flisikowski, Krzysztof and
Wielpütz, Mark O. and Biederer, Jürgen and Kauczor,
Hans-Ulrich and Alves, Frauke and Zanconati, Fabrizio and
Tromba, Giuliana},
title = {{F}ormaldehyde vapour fixation enables multiscale
phase-contrast imaging and histological validation of
human-sized lungs},
journal = {Scientific reports},
volume = {15},
number = {1},
issn = {2045-2322},
address = {[London]},
publisher = {Springer Nature},
reportid = {PUBDB-2025-05619},
pages = {36475},
year = {2025},
abstract = {Accurate diagnosis and characterization of lung disease
increasingly rely on advanced imaging modalities capable of
resolving fine microstructural details while minimizing
radiation exposure. Phase-sensitive computed tomography
(CT), particularly propagation-based imaging (PBI), offers
superior soft tissue contrast but has historically been
limited by the lack of compatible fixation techniques that
preserve lung architecture post-excision. We present an
adapted formaldehyde (FA) vapour fixation protocol designed
to maintain human-sized lungs in a physiologically inflated
and morphologically stable state. This approach prevents
collapse of the delicate air–tissue interfaces, a major
barrier to high-fidelity phase-contrast imaging and
histological correlation. Our method enables
high-resolution, multiscale imaging from whole-organ PBI at
67 µm voxel size to localized subcellular synchrotron PBI
at 650 nm voxel size on the same specimen, with preserved
spatial relationships critical for accurate validation of
imaging findings. In porcine models, FA vapour fixation
maintained alveolar integrity and radiological contrast
without compromising histological detail, while also
avoiding the artifacts associated with liquid fixation.
Crucially, the protocol allows regulation of inflation and
fixation dynamics, addressing longstanding challenges in ex
vivo lung imaging and enabling consistent specimen
preparation across studies. This fixation technique supports
biosafe stabilization of freshly explanted human
lungs–such as those from transplant procedures creating
new opportunities for translational research on pathological
tissue. By bridging high-resolution radiology and
histopathology, our scalable fixation protocol establishes a
standardized foundation for multimodal lung imaging and
offers a critical tool for advancing both fundamental lung
research and clinical diagnostics.},
cin = {EMBL-User / EMBL},
ddc = {600},
cid = {I:(DE-H253)EMBL-User-20120814 / I:(DE-H253)EMBL-20120731},
pnm = {6G3 - PETRA III (DESY) (POF4-6G3)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-6G3},
experiment = {EXP:(DE-H253)P-P14-20150101},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-025-23903-1},
url = {https://bib-pubdb1.desy.de/record/642770},
}