Synchrotron X-ray micro-CT imaging for resolving complex 3D structural changes in the kidney:
a missing piece of information needed to understand and potentially predict DKD progression and response to treatment

Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD) is a common complication of diabetes, and is characterized by a gradual loss in kidney function, eventually leading to end-stage renal disease which requires dialysis or kidney transplantation. The kidney is a very important organ for continued good health because it acts as a filter to extract waste and excess water from blood.

The visualization of complex renal 3D functional units with micrometer precision and early microstructural changes in DKD may help redefine the way DKD is understood and treated. Here we use high-resolution Synchrotron X-ray micro-CT to image biopsies from both patients with DKD and animal models, to get a better understanding of how adaptive morphological and functional changes in the chronically diseased kidney develop.

The working principle of the X-ray imaging we use is not any different from that used in common medical radiology known as CT scan, however synchrotron light – is unique!

A Synchrotron source is about a hundred billion times brighter than a hospital X-ray source and can therefore provide us with more detailed information related to injuries and/or diseases of the kidneys. With this technique we can finally resolve complex 3D microstructures with a mesoscale window and potentially uncover local structure-specific alterations in disease or after drug treatment that could otherwise be missed in 2D histology.