The Toulouse node is composed of a large nationally recognized multi-site core facility: Toulouse Reseau Imagerie. Distributed on Toulouse greater area, the facility is divided between medical science, fondamental science, cancer and rejuvenation, and agro-bio science. Moreover, eight R&D teams complete the node and supports the facility (from LAAS, CBI, IPBS, IRSD and IMT).

The Toulouse node aims to maintain the level of scientific excellence in response to the needs of users and the concerns of host laboratories. Four scientific axes are conducted: mechano-biology, molecules and single cells, whole organisms, image processing and quantitative data analysis. The mission of the node is also to develop original devices to explore biophysical properties in living samples, to work at the interface between machine and sample and to develop artificial intelligence applied to bioimaging.

2022 in numbers

  • 619 projects hosted
  • 77 publications
  • 18 training programs
  • 5 patents since 2011

Technological Innovations

  • Random illumination microscopy (RIM)
  • Protrusion Force Microscopy
  • Anchor technology
  • Microfabrication for organoids
  • SPIM & macroSPIM

Most innovative systems available for booking

  • Raman CARS/SRS
  • Cryo TEM & SEM
  • Spectral flow cytometry
  • Image analysis service
  • Multiphotons et spinning disk at Biosafety Level3

Tech transfer

  • Random illumination microscopy (transfert to a startup in project)
  • TauFLIM software (Photonlines)
  • Cryomethods in electron transmission microscopy
  • Light sheet microscopy (SPIM, macroSPIM)
Facility

Toulouse Reseau Imagerie (TRI)

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Facility: Toulouse Reseau Imagerie (TRI)

Head: Olivier GADAL

tricontact@genotoul.fr
Center for Integrative Biology, Rue Marianne Grunberg-Manago, Toulouse, France

Toulouse Réseau imagerie (TRI) platform is a large multisite platform, federates all shared imaging resources in biology lab in Toulouse Area. TRI offers, through 4 fields of expertise which are photonic microscopy, electron microscopy, cytometry-cell sorting and image processing and analysis, the visualization of biological functions, from the nanometric scale to the whole organism.

The missions of the platform are threefold:
1- To provide researchers expertise and cutting edge technology in the field of :
• Mecano-biology
• Molecular and single cell characterization
• Whole organism, including intra-vital imaging
• Image analysis, signal treatment and modelisation
2- To constitute a framework for reflexion and exchanges in this very rapidly evolving field.
3- To contribute to the formation of researchers in all methods related to microscopy.
TRI platform is ISO9001-NFX50-900 certified and IBiSA facility labeled.

Microscopy systems available @TRI

Services on this Facility

Service

Microscopy Technologies

R&D team

Engineering for Life Sciences and Applications (ELiA) @ LAAS

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R&D team: Engineering for Life Sciences and Applications (ELiA) @ LAAS

Head: Laurent Malaquin

laurent.malaquin@laas.fr
7 Avenue du Colonel Roche, Toulouse, France

3D printing and 3D Bioprinting applied to biodetection.
Development of 3D microenvironment as models for cell culture and cancer study.

Topics: Microenvironement for cell culture, tissue engineering, cancer diagnosis, microphysiological systems.
Skills: Microfluidics, 3D printing, Bioprinting, Self assembly, Biopatterning

R&D team

Micro-Nanofluidics for Life and Environmental Sciences @ LAAS

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R&D team: Micro-Nanofluidics for Life and Environmental Sciences @ LAAS

Head: Pierre Joseph

aurelien.bancaud@laas.fr ; morgan.delarue@laas.fr
7 Avenue du Colonel Roche, Toulouse, France

Development of microfluidic confining culture chambers, in order to study the impact of spatial confinement. Adapted to mechano-biology and allowing well-defined microenvironment.

R&D team

Chromatin and gene expression @ MCD-CBI

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R&D team: Chromatin and gene expression @ MCD-CBI

Head: Kerstin Bystricky

Kerstin.bystricky@univ-tlse3.fr
Center for Integrative Biology, Rue Marianne Grunberg-Manago, Toulouse, France

The team develops original systems to fluorescently label and track DNA (ANCHOR technology – NeoVirtech SAS) in real time at nanoscale resolution to understand physical principles underlying regulation of gene expression and DNA repair, in cellular plasticity and tumorigenesis.

R&D team

Phagocyte architecture and dynamics @ IPBS

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R&D team: Phagocyte architecture and dynamics @ IPBS

Head: Christel Vérollet & Renaud Poincloux

christel.verollet@ipbs.fr ; renaud.poincloux@ipbs.fr
IPBS-Toulouse, Route de Narbonne, Toulouse, France

Expertise of the team: Combination of cuttin-edge techniques in optical and electron imaging, material science, cell mechanics and intra-vital imaging to elucidate how phagocytes, in particular macrophages and osteoclasts, interact with the extracellular matrix, to decipher the mechanisms of macrophage 3D migration.

R&D team

Dynamics and disorders of ribosome synthesis @MCD-CBI

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R&D team: Dynamics and disorders of ribosome synthesis @MCD-CBI

Head: Pierre-Emmanuel Gleizes

pierre-emmanuel.gleizes@univ-tlse3.fr
118 Route de Narbonne, Toulouse, France

3D-electron microscopy approaches and correlative microscopies at different scales, from single molecules to tissues. Strong expertise in molecular imaging by cryo-EM and single particle analysis

R&D team

Gut Protease Signals @IRSD

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R&D team: Gut Protease Signals @IRSD

Head: Nathalie Vergnolle

nathalie.vergnolle@inserm.fr
Place du Docteur Joseph Baylac, Toulouse, France

Expertise in 3D imaging of live and fixed organoids. Drug screening tests using morphological characterization of organoid cultures as readouts. Organization of an open platform for Organoid development.

R&D team

R&D LITC platform @CBI @TRI

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R&D team: R&D LITC platform @CBI @TRI

Head: Thomas Mangeat

thomas.mangeat@univ-tlse3.fr
118 Route de Narbonne, Toulouse, France

Dévelopment of the RIM technology (Random Illumination Microscopy). Development of low cost integrated optical technology.

R&D team

MAthématiques pour l’iMagerie BiOlogique (MAMBO) @ MCD-CBI

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R&D team: MAthématiques pour l’iMagerie BiOlogique (MAMBO) @ MCD-CBI

Head: Pierre Weiss

pierre.weiss@cnrs.fr
Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Rue Marianne Grunberg-Manago, Toulouse, France

The MAMBO team (MAthématiques pour l’iMagerie BiOlogique) is specialized in mathematics (optimization, learning, approximation, inverse problems) and in imaging (reconstruction and analysis). It has 2 main objectives: – Participate in the improvement of microscopy techniques (e.g. RIM, TIRF, SMLM, …) by refining their mathematical modeling and by building efficient reconstruction algorithms. – Participate in the analysis of the resulting images by developing (or using) tools to improve the quality of segmentation or classification in large volumes of data. In particular, it develops new artificial intelligence models to achieve its goals.

Key publications

  • Assia Asrir, Claire Tardiveau, Juliette Coudert, Robin Laffont, Lucas Blanchard, et al.. Tumor-associated high endothelial venules mediate lymphocyte entry into tumors and predict response to PD1 plus CTLA-4 combination immunotherapy. Cancer Cell, In press, 17 p. ff10.1016/j.ccell.2022.01.002ff. ffhal-03576428f
  • Marion Jasnin, Jordan Hervy, Stéphanie Balor, Anaïs Bouissou, Amsha Proag, et al.. Elasticity of podosome actin networks produces nanonewton protrusive forces. Nature Communications, 2022, 13 (1), pp.3842. ff10.1038/s41467-022-30652-6ff. ffhal-03817191
  • Portes M, Mangeat T, Escallier N, Dufrancais O, Raynaud-Messina B, Thibault C, Maridonneau-Parini I, Vérollet C, Poincloux R. Nanoscale architecture and coordination of actin cores within the sealing zone of human osteoclasts. Elife. 2022 Jun 21;11:e
  • Record M, Attia M, Carayon K, Pucheu L, Bunay J, Soulès R, Ayadi S, Payré B, Perrin-Cocon L, Bourgailh F, Lamazière A, Lotteau V, Poirot M, Silvente-Poirot S, de Medina P. Targeting the liver X receptor with dendrogenin A differentiates tumour cells to secrete immunogenic exosome-enriched vesicles. J Extracell Vesicles. 2022 Apr;11(4):e12211. doi: 10.1002/jev2.12211. PMID: 35411723; PMCID: PMC9001168
  • Marie-Françoise O’Donohue, Lydie Da Costa, Marco Lezzerini, Sule Unal, et al.. HEATR3 variants impair nuclear import of uL18 (RPL5) and drive Diamond-Blackfan anemia, Blood, Volume 139, Issue 21, 2022, Pages 3111-3126, ISSN 0006-4971,