Faculty of Science and Technology findings by a group led by Professor Mikihiko Arikawa Faculty of Science and Technology have been published in the international academic journal *Scientific Reports*
Release Date:
Successful SEM observation of biological samples using a "water-freeze-drying method" that does not use chemical fixatives
~Developing a Simple, High-Precision Method for Electron Microscope Sample Preparation That Defies Conventional Wisdom~
In December 2025,An international collaborative research Graduate SchoolFaculty of Science and TechnologyGraduate SchoolFaculty of Science and TechnologyGraduate School has developed a new method that enables the observation of biological samples with well-preserved microstructures using a freeze-drying method that employs only water, without the use of any chemical fixatives, as observed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A paper detailing this research was published in the international academic journal *Scientific Reports*.
This method can be used even in laboratories without specialized cryogenic equipment; it is expected to reduce sample preparation time in morphological research, dramatically improve the accuracy of observations, and contribute to a wide range of life science fields, including cell biology and taxonomy.
[Figure 1: High-resolution SEM image free of artifacts] An image of a freshwater ciliate prepared without chemical fixation. The synchronous movement of the cilia (metachronal waves) is also well preserved.
[Paper Information]
Journal Title: Scientific Reports
Paper Title: Artifact-free preparation of biological samples for SEM using optimized water freeze-drying
Authors: Hideki Ishida1, Naoya Fukuda1, Maho Shimada1, Kousei Yamamoto1, Liudmyla Gaponova2,3, Rina Higuchi4, Andrii Kolosiuk2,5, Ryo Hoshina6, Mikihiko Arikawa7, Yasuhiro Fukuda8, MD Shafiq Islam9, Terue Harumoto10, Yumeng Wan11,12, Toshiki Itoh12,13, Yoko Inai14, Asuka Takeishi2, Hitoshi Aonuma2, Takuto Kikuchi2, Shijo Nishigori15, Tadashi Maruyama16, Kenichi Ikeda17, Hideyuki Iriko18, Toshinobu Suzaki2
Graduate School; 2Graduate School; 3 Laboratory of Preservation and Renewal of Biodiversity, Institute for Evolutionary Ecology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine;Faculty of Science and TechnologyFacultyFaculty of Science and TechnologyTechnology; 5 Laboratory of Radiation Technology, Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 6 Nagahama InstituteFaculty of Science and Technology Bio-Science and Technology, Faculty of Science and TechnologyGraduate SchoolGraduate School of Agricultural Science, 9 Ansar/VDP Training Center, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 10Nara Women's University,Graduate SchoolGraduate School of Medicine, 12 Xiangya School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, China, 13 KobeScience Research Center14WakayamaMedical University, 15 Shimane University Center for Integrated Research Support, 16 Kitasato UniversityFaculty Marine Life Faculty17Graduate School, 18Graduate School
Publication Date: December 10, 2025 (Accepted: December 10, 2025)