FEM2BIO – fluorescence microscopy innovation
Multicolor analysis focused on the analysis of living organisms, adapted to fluorescence microscopy with applications in the analysis of pathologies (ex. Cancer)
The FEM2Bio project (Extended Fiber for Multicolor Microscopy in Biology) is a project developped in collaboration with Photonics companies (Photonics Bretagne, IDIL) and the University of Rennes (IGDR). This type of microscopy allows the analysis of pathologies (in particular cancer) and the search for adapted therapies. This requires a good understanding of cellular mechanisms, and in particular of the complex dynamics involving many proteins. The study of fluorescent proteins is an essential tool to mark proteins of interest and express them in living samples. Thanks to its minimally invasive characteristic, the fluorescence microscopy allows to visualize and follow the labeled proteins in living samples.
The overall objective of the project is to develop a powerful video-microscopy tool able to follow five proteins simultaneously in order to observe and better understand cellular mechanisms.
The first part of the project is dedicated to the development of components and lasers in order to provide a combiner to the IGDR and to perform fluorescence microscopy analysis with 5 wavelengths instead of 4 currently. The addition of an extra wavelength will allow them to follow an extra protein of interest and thus improve the computational models. A second part of the project is oriented in prospecting and will consist in developing a wide band fiber (from 320 to 900 nm) as well as some near UV lasers.
To reach this objective and to prepare even more powerful microscopes (up to 6 to 8 proteins followed simultaneously), new optical components will be developed within the framework of the project : fiber, lasers, broadband combination of lasers in the PCF fiber or even dichroic filter to separate excitation lasers from fluorescence.
The challenge for Oxxius R&D is to develop a 698 nm laser with100 mW (based on the same technology as the LPX-640 and the near UV laser also developed by Oxxius).
In a second step, the Oxxius team will design the combiner adapted to the specificities detailed by the IGDR (choice of components) and will integrate its new 698 nm laser.
Photonics Bretagne develops a microstructured fiber covering the 400 – 800 nm range. The connectorization is realized by IDIL with a major difference compared to the connectorization of a fiber usually used by Oxxius.
(The microstructured fiber has holes and this requires the addition of a silica rod (Endcap) at the ends of the fiber)
Funders
The financers of the fem2bio project are the region Bretagne and Lannion-Trégor Communauté
Actors of the project
