The small animal non invasive imaging facility of the PARCC is a part of the imaging facility of the Université Paris Cité: Plateforme Imageries du Vivant.
PIV is a network created in 2005. Its objective is to give access to non invasive small animal imaging techniques to research teams affiliated either to Université Paris Cité, or to other groups from academic institutions or private industry.
This facility gathers imaging teams on several sites of the Université Paris Cité. The localization of the imaging systems corresponds to specific local skills:
PARCC houses the small animal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET-CT) and optical imaging Institut Cochin houses the high resolution ultrasound facility for small animals. Cordeliers Research Center houses a contrastultrasound Saints Pères Center houses the electronic paramagnetic resonance imaging (RPEi) facility and two research teams expert in image and signal processing The Pharmacy Faculty houses the luminescence and fluorescence imaging The Dental Faculty houses the micro CT imaging Sainte-Anne Hospital houses the clinical MRI facility
The Université Paris Cité “Plateforme Imageries du Vivant” is a GIS IBISA platform, member of the FLI network. It operates in close cooperation with three Boards. The Board of Directors gives the strategic orientations of the platform. The Executive Board, composed of the scientists in charge of each imaging site and user representatives, ensures the application of the orientations given by the Board of Directors. The Scientific Council provides advice and evaluations of the scientific activities of the platform.
MRI: A Bruker Biospec 4.7T MRI with a 40cm bore allowing to image from mice to rabbits. High resolution cryogenic probe allowing improved signal-to-noise ratio Complete monitoring and anesthesia systems.
Preclinical PET-CT:
A nanoScan PET-CT (Mediso Medical Imaging Systems) allowing to image small rabbits to mice with a resolution up to 0,7 mm, complete monitoring and anesthesia systems
A gamma counter (HIDEX) allowing ex vivo measure with very high sensitivity
An Amersham Typhoon scanner for phosphor imaging at high resolution
A Supersonic Imagine Aixplorer for ultrafast ultrasound imaging in small animals
OPTICAL IMAGING:
A planar PhotonImager (Biospace Lab) camera allowing in vivo luminescence and fluorescence imaging in animal and cells. A confocal fibered Cellvizio Lab system, an in situ dynamic fluorescence microscopy facility, to acquire movies of small animal in vivo at the cellular level
Facility Organisation
Services offered
Advice to the users to define the modalities and imaging protocols best fitting their scientific project, elaboration of the imaging. MRI, PET/CT, Optical acquisitions, measures and analysis, and housing of their small animals during the project.
Research Engineer: Gwennhael Autret and Thomas Viel
Image processing and advanced analysis technologies and methodologies advice to researchers. Research Engineer: Daniel Balvay
Special expertise
Thanks to the close connection with team 2, the platform has developed multiparametric imaging protocols for: Functional imaging of tumors (perfusion, permeability, diffusion, oxygenation, metabolism) Functional imaging of the placenta in rats or mice Cellular imaging with iron oxide particles using the high resolution cryoprobe