Images of 6-month-old cortical bone in transverse cross-section, where (a) and (b) are obtained using an SEM and SHG microscopy, respectively.MechSE assistant professor Kimani C. Toussaint and professor Iwona M. Jasiuk, along with two of their students, ECE’s Raghu Ambekar and MechSE’s Michael Chittenden, published an article in the December 2011 edition of the scientific journal Bone.
Written by By Meredith Staub
Images of 6-month-old cortical bone in transverse cross-section, where (a) and (b) are obtained using an SEM and SHG microscopy, respectively.
MechSE assistant professor Kimani C. Toussaint and professor Iwona M. Jasiuk, along with two of their students, ECE’s Raghu Ambekar and MechSE’s Michael Chittenden, published an article in the December 2011 edition of the scientific journal Bone.
The article, titled “Quantitative second-harmonic generation microscopy for imaging porcine cortical bone: Comparison to SEM and its potential to investigate age-related changes,” describes the use of second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy for imaging collagen fibers in pig cortical bone. More specifically, it compares SHG microscopy to scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which is commonly used for imaging bone, particularly at sub-cellular scales.
The research team applied a technique developed in Toussaint’s group called Fourier transform-second harmonic generation (FT-SHG) imaging, which combines SHG with spatial harmonic analysis, and showed that it can be used to quantify potential structural changes in bone as it develops. In the article, they used FT-SHG to image 4 different age groups of cortical bone specimens and demonstrated that their approach would be a powerful complement to the techniques currently used to image bone.
“It’s our belief that with a bit more work on this technique SHG microscopy will be able to offer the advantages of improved depth penetration in thick specimens and 3D imaging, something that SEM and polarized light microscopy cannot offer,” Toussaint said.
This research work was supported by the NSF CAREER award program and a grant from the NSF’s division of civil, mechanical, and manufacturing innovation.
Bone is the official journal of the International Bone and Mineral Society. It encompasses original, experimental or clinical studies, and review articles dealing with both normal and pathological processes which occur in bone or in other tissues affecting bone metabolism.
Toussaint and Jasiuk are affiliates of the Department of Bioengineering. Toussaint is also an affiliate of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.