Extended Data Fig. 9: Testing whether a moist environment in sealed tubes can prevent dehydration of ECM samples for several hours, thereby enabling MRI scans of tendon in the fresh state.

Mass of samples held in constant position by a 3D-printed mounting device for 5 h in a sealed 15 ml tube with soaked gauze at the bottom of the tube normalized to the mass in FRESH condition. Four samples dissected from one tendon were tested. Each sample was measured twice: in the FRESH condition and after five hours in a sealed tube (5 h). Bar plots show mean ± s.d. The P value was determined using a two-tailed t-test for n = 4 samples; significance threshold: P < 0.05; NS, not significant.