X-ray Phase Contrast Tomography to assess the sequential evolution of multi-organ damage in an animal model of multiple sclerosis

TL;DR

This study employs X-ray phase-contrast tomography to simultaneously image multiple organs in an animal model of multiple sclerosis, identifying early markers of disease progression across different biological scales.

Contribution

It introduces a multiscale, multi-organ imaging approach using XPCT to detect early structural changes predictive of MS in an animal model.

Findings

Early organ changes identified as potential disease markers

Multiscale imaging reveals cellular to organ-level alterations

Correlations across organs suggest systemic disease progression

Abstract

We use X-ray phase-contrast tomography (XPCT) in a multi-organ approach to identify early imaging markers predictive of multiple sclerosis (MS) in EAE animal model. As the majority of neurodegenerative diseases, MS is characterized by a progressive accumulation of biological deficits across different organs and systems. A simultaneous imaging of different disease-relevant networks and a multiscale imaging, ranging from the single cell through to the organ as a whole, are required to provide complete reliable information. XPCT offers the unprecedented possibility to investigate structural and cellular alterations at brain, gut, and eye levels in a multiscale approach. The comparison between naive mice and EAE-affected mice sacrificed at different time points and the correlation of the data from different organs and different time points, unveils the identification of early changes in organs possible predictive of the disease.