The Imagopole platforms of the Institut Pasteur
Overview
The Imagopole facilities harbor a conglomeration of technologies, knowledge and expertise for imaging and flow cytometry, live cell dynamics, multi-dimensional and ultra-structural microscopies and intravital imaging. While serving the specialized needs for imaging methods adapted to studies on infectious diseases at the Institut Pasteur, the facilities are also available and suitable for the more diverse needs of academic and commercial users from outside of the campus. Our facilities are ISO 9001 version 2008 certified and benefit the IBiSA label; and are consequently audited twice a year for quality of service, training, equipment and facilities. Access to instrumentation and services follows general guidelines including for example autonomous use of equipment following specific training provided by one of our expert engineers, or assisted use with samples and/or users being accompanied by full service assistance. The associated charges will mainly cover consumables costs. Access to and the management of the instrumentation is implemented in a platform management system, developed originally in our lab and now commercially available (www.stratocore.com).
Please contact us at pfid@pasteur.fr for any inquiries.
The Imagopole is a partner in several French national research programs including: France-BioImaging, France Life Imaging, and European (Euro-BioImaging) programs aiming to develop new, translational imaging technologies and build imaging infrastructure networks.
The Imagopole facilities harbor a conglomeration of technologies, knowledge and expertise for imaging and flow cytometry, live cell dynamics, multi-dimensional and ultra-structural microscopies and intravital imaging. While serving the specialized needs for imaging methods adapted to studies on infectious diseases at the Institut Pasteur, the facilities are also available and suitable for the more diverse needs of academic and commercial users from outside of the campus. Our facilities are ISO 9001 version 2008 certified and benefit the IBiSA label; and are consequently audited twice a year for quality of service, training, equipment and facilities. Access to instrumentation and services follows general guidelines including for example autonomous use of equipment following specific training provided by one of our expert engineers, or assisted use with samples and/or users being accompanied by full service assistance. The associated charges will mainly cover consumables costs. Access to and the management of the instrumentation is implemented in a platform management system, developed originally in our lab and now commercially available (www.stratocore.com).
Please contact us at pfid@pasteur.fr for any inquiries.
The Imagopole is a partner in several French national research programs including: France-BioImaging, France Life Imaging, and European (Euro-BioImaging) programs aiming to develop new, translational imaging technologies and build imaging infrastructure networks.
High Content Analysis at the Imagopole
In our capacity as a large integrated imaging facility specialized in studies on cellular microbiology and infection, we have started to expand the articulation between routine application of advanced microscopic imaging, and the cutting-edge technologies for cell-based high-content imaging and analysis. Imaging has proven without a doubt its value as unique means to probe in situ functional readouts at a cellular, tissue and whole organism level. The ability to engineer cell-based image acquisition, processing and analysis into unbroken and automated pipeline that is referred to as “high-content at high-throughput” (HiC/HiT) is opening avenues to new discoveries. Fundamental studies on biology require readouts to approximate the verity of biological processes, without loss of quality. This implies that in any given assay we want to achieve experimental conditions embodying a paradigm most closely approaching the physiological and metabolic state of the in vivo biology that we are interested in (relevant biology). Studies on infection are especially demanding because infectious processes are complex and exigent, requiring very precise physiological, metabolic and biochemical processes to successfully engage before a pathogen may realize its destiny in vivo. We therefore propose technologies and methods to overcome these constraints and allow understanding the cellular basis to host-pathogen function.
Technologies (all equipment are localized in a BSL2 environment)
• Opera QEHS (Perkin Elmer) equipped with robotic arm, plate hotel and plate incubator
• 2 Janus liquid handling station (Perkin Elmer) equipped with 96 pipetting head, 8-channel versatips and INHECO thermoshaker
• Scanning confocals (including multi-photons, super resolution, …)
• Spinning disk confocals (including FRAP modules..)
• Wide field microscopes (some equipped with live imaging capabilities)
• Live imaging (Biostation, Nikon)
• Small animal imaging (Bioluminescence, fluorescence, FMT)
• Imaging flow cytometry (Imagestream, amnis)
• Flow cytometry
• Ultra structural microscopy
• Image analysis workstations (Acapella, Volocity, Imaris, …)
• 2 Janus liquid handling station (Perkin Elmer) equipped with 96 pipetting head, 8-channel versatips and INHECO thermoshaker
• Scanning confocals (including multi-photons, super resolution, …)
• Spinning disk confocals (including FRAP modules..)
• Wide field microscopes (some equipped with live imaging capabilities)
• Live imaging (Biostation, Nikon)
• Small animal imaging (Bioluminescence, fluorescence, FMT)
• Imaging flow cytometry (Imagestream, amnis)
• Flow cytometry
• Ultra structural microscopy
• Image analysis workstations (Acapella, Volocity, Imaris, …)
Expertise
• Assay development and miniaturization
• Image and data analysis
• Super resolution imaging
• Correlative microscopy
• New imaging modalities development
• Image and data analysis
• Super resolution imaging
• Correlative microscopy
• New imaging modalities development
People
Professor Spencer SHORTE, PhD graduated (1988) in Biochemistry from the University of Kent at Canterbury (UK) and received his PhD (1992) in the same subject from Bristol University (UK). Expert in development of dynamic cell and tissue imaging techniques in living systems, worked in Europe and the USA before being appointed group leader at the Pasteur Institute in 2001 where he created the international imaging center Pasteur-Imagopole (www.imagopole.org). Today, the Imagopole infrastructure harbours four groups with expertise in microscopic, ultrastructural and cytometry based imaging technologies, and supports clinical translational research, combining advanced imaging technologies to address fundamental research questions in clinical paradigms relating to immunological and infectious pathologies
Nathalie Aulner, PhD, graduated in Genetic Engeneering from Institut National des Sciences Appliquées in Toulouse in 1994 and received her PhD (2000) in the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse (France). She is currently working at the Institut Pasteur in Paris (France) where she is in charge of the High Content Analysis efforts in the PFID-Imagopole led by Dr. Spencer Shorte. Her areas of interest encompass the challenges of applying high content analysis to the study of infectious diseases, developing assays to achieve physiologically and clinically relevant conditions, live cell imaging and applying robust statistical methodologies. Before joining the Institut Pasteur, she worked as an associate research scientist at screening at the Columbia University Screening Center led by Dr J.E. Rothman and in the Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics with Pr. A. Califano.
Nathalie Aulner, PhD, graduated in Genetic Engeneering from Institut National des Sciences Appliquées in Toulouse in 1994 and received her PhD (2000) in the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse (France). She is currently working at the Institut Pasteur in Paris (France) where she is in charge of the High Content Analysis efforts in the PFID-Imagopole led by Dr. Spencer Shorte. Her areas of interest encompass the challenges of applying high content analysis to the study of infectious diseases, developing assays to achieve physiologically and clinically relevant conditions, live cell imaging and applying robust statistical methodologies. Before joining the Institut Pasteur, she worked as an associate research scientist at screening at the Columbia University Screening Center led by Dr J.E. Rothman and in the Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics with Pr. A. Califano.
Selected Publications
Nathalie Aulner, Anne Danckaert, Eline Rouault-Hardoin, Julie Desrivot, Olivier Helynck, Pierre-Henri Commere, Hélène Munier-Lehmann, Gerald F. Späth, Spencer L. Shorte, Geneviève Milon, Eric Prina.
High Content Analysis of Primary Macrophages Hosting Proliferating Leishmania Amastigotes: Application to Anti-leishmanial Drug Discovery
published 04 Apr 2013 | PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002154
Di Nunzio F, Danckaert A, Fricke T, Perez P, Fernandez J, Perret E, Roux P, Shorte SL. , Charneau P, Diaz-Griffero F, Arhel NJ.
Human Nucleoporins Promote HIV-1 Docking at the Nuclear Pore, Nuclear Import and Integration.
PLoS One. 2012;7(9):e46037.
Dragavon J, Blazquez S, Rekiki A, Samson C, Theodorou I, Rogers KL, Tournebize R, Shorte SL.
In vivo excitation of nanoparticles using luminescent bacteria.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jun 5;109(23):8890-5.
Tinevez JY, Dragavon J, Baba-Aissa L, Roux P, Perret E, Canivet A, Galy V, Shorte S.
A quantitative method for measuring phototoxicity of a live cell imaging microscope.
Methods Enzymol. 2012;506:291-309.
High Content Analysis of Primary Macrophages Hosting Proliferating Leishmania Amastigotes: Application to Anti-leishmanial Drug Discovery
published 04 Apr 2013 | PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002154
Di Nunzio F, Danckaert A, Fricke T, Perez P, Fernandez J, Perret E, Roux P, Shorte SL. , Charneau P, Diaz-Griffero F, Arhel NJ.
Human Nucleoporins Promote HIV-1 Docking at the Nuclear Pore, Nuclear Import and Integration.
PLoS One. 2012;7(9):e46037.
Dragavon J, Blazquez S, Rekiki A, Samson C, Theodorou I, Rogers KL, Tournebize R, Shorte SL.
In vivo excitation of nanoparticles using luminescent bacteria.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jun 5;109(23):8890-5.
Tinevez JY, Dragavon J, Baba-Aissa L, Roux P, Perret E, Canivet A, Galy V, Shorte S.
A quantitative method for measuring phototoxicity of a live cell imaging microscope.
Methods Enzymol. 2012;506:291-309.