X-ray contact microscopy system for spectromicroscopy of biological specimens

An X-ray contact microscopy system has been developed for the study of molecular and elemental distributions in biological specimens based on X-ray absorption characteristics. The system consists of a chamber for measuring XANES (X-ray absorption near-edge structure) of biomolecules, and a contact microscopy system for dried specimens with an electronic zooming tube. With this system the elemental distribution of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, Ca and Fe in an HeLa cell has been studied, and the DNA-related image using a peak from the XANES profile of the DNA at the K-absorption edge of phosphorus has been obtained.