For me, Trieste is more than coffee and the coastline-it marks one of the most exciting chapters of my doctoral journey. In October 2024, I traveled to Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste - one of Europe's leading synchrotron facilities - with Professor Christian Dullin (Clinical and Interventional Radiology, University Medical Center Göttingen), an expert in synchrotron-based phase-contrast imaging. With a car full of experimental equipment and an anthropomorphic lung phantom in the trunk, we set off from Heidelberg on a long drive to the Italian coast.

Elettra is developing the world's first phase-contrast beamline for lung Computed Tomography (CT) imaging of patients. Our experiments focused on using phase-contrast CT to image porcine and human lung specimen in the phantom designed under the supervision of Professor Jürgen Biederer (Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg). Our goal was to evaluate the diagnostic potential of this ultra-high-resolution technique and compare it to conventional high-resolution CT at clinically relevant radiation doses.

From the moment we arrived, every minute counted for the following two weeks Beam time is highly competitive and strictly limited, so we worked full-time in alternating shifts-scanning lungs at the SYRMEP beamline while monitoring formalin vapor lung fixation in the laboratory. Days and nights quickly blurred into one and sleep became a luxury.

As is often the case in experimental research, not everything went according to plan. We improvised with fishing line, zip-lock bags, agarose, superglue, and an electric rotary tool to adapt equipment and solve unexpected challenges. In the end, it was teamwork and creativity that kept everything moving forward.

What made the experience even more memorable was the atmosphere at Elettra itself. It's a place where science truly never sleeps, attracting more than 1,200 researchers from over 50 countries each year. The beamlines are operated by teams from Italy, Germany, Austria, India and beyond. Scientists work side by side around the clock and meet for coffee in the cafeteria during the day or at the vending machine at night.

By the end of our stay, we had collected high-quality data that will form the basis of two upcoming manuscripts. And before we left, we luckily found a few moments to enjoy the best of Trieste - espresso, seafood, and a view of the Adriatic Sea.

I'm deeply grateful to the SYRMEP beamline team, led by Dr. Giuliana Tromba, for their generous support, and to the DZL for funding this inspiring research experience. I look forward to returning to Trieste in May 2025 for the next phase of this exciting work - bringing us closer to the clinical translation of phase-contrast CT.

Claudia V. Benke, Dokrandin
        Diagnostische und interventionelle Radiologie, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg