Spooky Science: Unveiling the Secrets of Bone Collagen with FusionScope?!

This Halloween, we're diving into a science experiment that's as chilling as it is thrilling—analyzing a bone sample! While most people associate bones with skeletons, graveyards, and spooky tales, in the world of science, bones are full of fascinating secrets. Let's put on our lab coats, fire up our microscope, and take a closer look at what this sample has to offer.

Introduction

Much like a spooky tale, bone tissue holds secrets of an endless cycle of creation and destruction led by its own team of bone-dwelling entities. Whereas osteoblasts synthesize the bone matrix and are responsible for its mineralization, osteoclasts break down bone matrix. The third cells, osteocytes, are inactive osteoblasts that have become trapped within the bone they have formed. The small space containing the osteocyte is called lacuna. When the tissue is dead, the lacuna topography gives information about the osteocyte that occupied it before. These eerie bone cavities act like gravestones, marking the final resting place of osteocytes long gone but not forgotten.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can help to identify lacunae in bone structure. But beware—the SEM doesn’t give you the full 3D picture! Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an established tool for quantitative analysis, however, it is very difficult to access lacunae without optical guidance. Therefore, it is typically a very challenging task to identify the lacunae structures and position the AFM cantilever directly on the area of interest.

Data Analysis

Enter the FusionScope, the ultimate tool for bone-chilling analysis! This terrifyingly advanced correlative microscopy platform offers a dedicated solution where both imaging modalities are seamlessly integrated within one instrument. Therefore, the user can combine the complementary strengths of both AFM and SEM. This is especially useful when the AFM cantilever must venture into the shadowy depths of a bovine vertebra, where access is notoriously difficult. SEM’s large field of view enables the easy identification of lacunae in bone tissue and the high precision of the SEM, when used in conjunction with FusionScope’s Profile View, can then be used to position the cantilever directly onto a lacunae. With the help of the AFM the user can then extract quantitative 3D topography of the lacunae structure and is able to directly correlate it with the SEM image.

The FusionScope isn't just for finding and imaging lacunae—it also reveals the eerie landscape of collagen fibers. Real 3D representation of the topography can be used for analyzing collagen fibers with a much higher resolution, allowing quantitative analysis of the characteristic periodic bending pattern on collagen fibers with sub-nm resolution. The cross section of the bending pattern shows a corrugation height of 2-3 nm that can be easily resolved with the FusionScope system.

The FusionScope is your go-to tool for the perfect blend of SEM and AFM in a frightfully easy-to-use package. Whether you're exploring the haunted chambers of lacunae or the ghostly structure of collagen fibers, this instrument provides a seamless solution for all your correlative analysis needs. With SEM guiding your way, you'll be able to unlock the secrets of your sample's past and combine your AFM and SEM data!

Learn more at fusionscope.com.