Recherche cancer
Evolution cancer
Garin Nathalie, Head of the Microscopy-Imaging-Morphology (MIM) core facility e-mail pdf group members
Nathalie Garin was trained as a biologist at the University of Lausanne where she received her PhD in 1999. She spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychiatric neurosciences in the laboratory of Kim Do‑Cuenod in Lausanne. She started to work at ISREC as a research associate in 2001 when the core facility for microscopy, imaging and morphology was created. Since 2001, she is head of the ISREC MIM core facility. Since 2005, she is also in charge of the BioImaging & Optics platform at EPFL.

The MIM core facility
The MIM core facility provides support and instruments for histology, microscopy and imaging to the research groups of ISREC, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Department of Biochemistry of Lausanne University as well as of EPFL. This platform offers the possibility to develop new technologies by collaboration between research groups and engineers. The facility also plays an important role in education through training and courses. Detailed information can be found on http://intranet.isrec.ch/.

Histology

The histology laboratory focuses on 3 points:

  • We have introduced standardized protocols for all the work done routinely by the MIM staff. These protocols are provided to research groups and cover all current techniques of fixation, embedding, sectioning, immunohistochemistry and conservation of slides.
  • New protocols including immunohistochemistry for Ki67, BrdU and beta-catenin are now used routinely.
  • Education of PhD students and postdocs in histology techniques is a key point in the laboratory.

Microscopy

In order to maintain our microscopy at a state-of-the-art level, a new confocal microscope was purchased in 2005. The instrument chosen uses an illumination and detection technology that is very flexible and allows imaging of new fluorochromes without using filters. In the context of collaboration with industry, a fluorescent correlation detector was evaluated.

A stereomicroscope offering a large field of view enables the visualization of labels in embryos and complete organs. Such an instrument equipped also with fluorescence was acquired last year. This stereomicroscope is an ideal addition to the in vivo biophotonic imaging system from Xenogen, a technology allowing researchers to use real-time imaging to monitor cellular and genetic activity within a living organism. This instrument is used to follow the progression of tumors or metastases in living mice (Fig. 1).

Figure 1: Mice with tumor cells grafted in the colon. One mouse shows a strong signal (circle) and probable metastases (arrows). Picture Courtesy from Sven Eyckerman.

Imaging

Tools to visualize or quantify multiple color 3D images over time (4D) are accessible to users. In order to extract data from those images, a growing set of commercial or public domain softwares is implemented at the MIM. We can address multiple aspects such as problems of particle tracking, cell motility, or tissue segmentation.

Collaborations and networks

Since September 2005, Nathalie Garin is also in charge of the BioImaging & Optics platform (BIOp) of EPFL and collaborations inside the school have been strengthened. Together with the group of Michael Unser (laboratoire d’imagerie biomédicale, EPFL), the MIM organizes common progress reports where biological problems and image analyses are presented and discussed. Furthermore students from Theo Lasser’s group (laboratoire d’optique appliquée, EPFL) have made point spread functions (PSF) on three systems: wide-field microscope, laser scanning confocal and spinning disk confocal microscopes. These PSF are used to check the alignment of the optical axes and to perform deconvolution.

The MIM also plays an active role in the microscopy and imaging forum of the lemanic region (http://forumimagerie.epfl.ch/). Subjects covered included total internal reflection fluorescence, new techniques in ultra-fast confocal microscopy as well as electron and multi-photon microscopy.

Education

Training is provided on microscope use and image analysis and is adapted to each MIM user. At the EPFL, semester projects are carried out using material from ISREC.

In the doctoral school “BioMicroscopy”, theory is taught in parallel by biologists and engineers whose different points of view provide a new phenomenological and mathematical approach to microscopy with biological samples.

Keywords

Histology, bio-microscopy and imaging, confocal microscopy