Occitan

Coordination: Pr Isabelle BERRY, isabelle.berry@univ-tlse3.fr

Project manager: Hugues CAZETTE, hugues.cazette@umontpellier.fr

Local administrative coordination: Université de Toulouse et Université de Montpellier

Presentation

The Occitan Hub joined the FLI infrastructure on June 1st, 2020, simultaneously with two other hubs.

It brings together five imaging platforms located in the cities of Toulouse and Montpellier, under the joint supervision of the University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier III and the University of Montpellier.

Open to both academic and industrial collaborative research, the imaging facilities cover a wide range of in vivo imaging modalities (MRI, nuclear, ultrasound, X-ray, and optical imaging for both human and animal applications).

Regarding preclinical imaging research, in Toulouse we operate 7T MRI imaging systems (MRI/SRM Pharmascan Biospec 7T Bruker), ultrafast ultrasound (Vevo2100, Visualsonics), and shear-wave elastography (Aixplorer Supersonic Imagine) at the CREFRE-Anexplo (Regional Center for Functional Exploration and Experimental Resources) non-invasive exploration platform, located on the Oncopole and Rangueil Hospital sites.

In Montpellier, the IPAM platform (Imagerie du Petit Animal Montpellier) of the UAR BioCampus is equipped with a high-resolution ultrasound imaging system (Vevo 3100, Visualsonics) and a high-resolution photoacoustic imaging system (Vevo LAZR-X, Visualsonics) located at the PhyMedExp unit site. In addition, the IRCM (Montpellier Cancer Research Institute) hosts a nano SPECT-CT system (Mediso) and 2D optical bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging systems (Ivis Lumina II).
On the University site, the BNIF platform (BioNanoImaging Foundry) further extends the imaging offer with a 9.4T MRI, two 3T MRIs with vertical and horizontal magnets, and a Micro-CT. It also includes a PET-CT system (Mediso), also located within the IRCM technical platform.

For clinical imaging, both cities host dedicated research platforms. In Montpellier, the i2fh platform, located at CHU Gui de Chauliac, is equipped with a 3T MRI (PRISMA Siemens), while in Toulouse, the MRI platform of UMR ToNIC (Toulouse NeuroImaging Center) at CHU Purpan features a 3T MRI (Philips). The latter is unique in also supporting preclinical research involving large-animal imaging.

Main imaging expertise and know-how highlighted through FLI’s scientific activity

The scientific expertise associated with preclinical in vivo imaging systems is primarily focused on non-invasive and longitudinal monitoring of cancer progression, to assess the long-term effects of new drugs and therapeutic targets on the IPAM/IRCM platform. Research also includes the study of major physiological systems such as cardiology and neurology at the IPAM/PhyMedExp site.
The BNIF platform has expertise in preclinical imaging on both animal and plant models, with the capability to deploy equipment and technical expertise directly in the field.

In addition, the Toulouse site has developed strong expertise in oncology, metabolism, cardiovascular imaging, infectious disease imaging, and neuroscience imaging.

On the clinical research side, the Occitan hub has recognized expertise in neurosciences, particularly in imaging biomarkers for brain disorders (Parkinsonian syndromes, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, psychiatry) and oncology. It also has advanced capabilities for exploring the whole human body in both healthy subjects and clinical context

 

Preclinical and clinical imaging platforms / Location/scientific directors

Research laboratories associated to the platforms

 

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