We share the scientific know-how and technologies
we most liked recently
Our blog hosts articles on innovative research tools that we have discovered in scientific publications, and that we really like. We want to point out these life science tools because we believe they can change some research practices. We share them with courtesy and respect. We have no connection with the researchers who invented them.
Posts are written by our team or by researchers who are interested in innovative tools for their own research practice. We thank them warmly here for agreeing to share their points of view on our blog.
Posts
A silicon window for mouse intravital imaging
A silicon window that allows the imaging of growing tissue while being suture-free, easy to use and safe for the animal.
by Hélène Vitet, April 2023
An open-source deep-learning tool for segmenting and tracking bacteria
A rapid and accurate image analysis workflow that uses convolutional neural networks (U-Net) to segment and track single cells growing on 2D surfaces. Available open source, full Python implementation.
by Ilaria Iuliani, February 2023
A web for cells: measuring cell mechanical perception in an engineered ECM
This clever design embeds both a fibrillar extracellular matrix and a way to reliably generate and measure stresses.
by Adrien Méry, January 2023
A microfluidic device for fast antibiotic susceptibility testing
It is very efficient to enable evidence-based prescription of antibiotics and help reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
by Ilaria Iuliani, November 2022
Quickly assembling and disassembling a needle mat using blue light
A photo switchable crystal made of GMP and an azobenzene compound. A simple way not only to build DNA crystals, but to control them with light.
by Adrien Méry, October 2022
Magnetic aggregation of cells as a new spheroid formation technique
This method accurately recapitulates the behavior of 3D cancer cell aggregates, in addition to being highly reproducible, finely tuned and having a very low maturation time.
by Marie Tautou, September 2022
The use of viruses to unravel brain functions: a focus on the rabies virus
Viruses have become essential neuroanatomical tract-tracing tools to understand brain anatomy and functions. The rabies virus appears to be the most efficient and specific to identify an entire neuronal network, up to its sources.
by Hélène Vitet, July 2022
Nano-J Fluidics: An open source solution for event base microscopy
An open source and well documented hardware system to automate on microscope the treatment and labelling of samples. The huge interest of this system is its cost.
by Adrien Méry, June 2022
Modulating matrix stiffness with sugar threose to understand tumor invasion
A smart tool showing the importance of the chronology of events in cancer cell invasion and, more importantly, capturing the complexity of cancer invasion by introducing a fourth dimension into cell biological models.
by Marie Tautou, June 2022
Microfluidics to recreate a physiological neuronal network
This tool allows not only the modelling of pathological networks, as found in Huntington’s disease, but also the cellular compartmentalization to decipher the molecular mechanisms (...)
by Hélène Vitet, April 2022
Ultrabright Terbium Nanoparticles
Fluorescent particles that are brighter than quantum dots while having room for functionnalization. These next generation probes may find use both for in-vitro detection and fluorescence Imaging.
by Aurélien Pasturel, March 2021
LED-optimized photoinitiators
Typically, photo-initiators are molecules which, upon UV irradiation, can trigger chemical reactions. Yet, this new class of photo-initiators can be activated by blue light instead. This makes them well suited for LED illumination.
by Aurélien Pasturel, March 2021
WRAP Peptides: CPP
Cell Penetrating Peptides are 15-aminoacid-long molecules that WRAP'n ROLL around nucleic acids to form nanoparticles. Those nanoparticles can easily penetrate the cells and deliver their precious genetic construct or SiRNA.
by Aurélien Pasturel, January 2021
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