Ingénieur étude (M/F) - Imagerie optique multimodale et fonctionnelle de sphéroïdes neuronaux en lévitation acoustique

Job Description

Missions

The work corresponds to the first part of a collaborative ANR project (between the 3 partners described above) to study cerebral spheroids under acoustic levitation and induced mechanical stress. In particular, this will allow investigating the impact of mechanics on neuronal growth and function, possibly in the context of chronic
traumatic encephalopathy.
The mission of the engineer is focused on the development of the microscope itself. In
particular, a new microscope module will be developed to enable label-free imaging of neuronal spheroids in acoustic levitation. The module will combine 3 imaging modalities, including a new one invented at the Institut Langevin:
-Dynamic full-field OCT to reveal all the cells in a tissue or culture without labeling by analyzing temporal fluctuations of full-field OCT signals
-Spectral OCT for visualization of spheroid volume
-Fluorescence imaging
The candidate will develop the module, connect it to a commercial microscope, and develop a sample holder for imaging samples in acoustic levitation. He/she will interface with two teams of collaborators developing levitating cell cultures to integrate their needs into the imaging system.

Activity

-Design and production of an imaging module
-Development of automated data processing algorithms
-Production of acoustic levitation chips and microscope integration. Realization of mechanical interfaces and 3D printing to make the interface
-Imaging of biological samples and discussion with physicists and biologists to optimize imaging.
-Regular presentation of results
-Participation in the scientific life of the team and collaboration with other team members

Your Profil

Skills

-The candidate must master basic and advanced microscopy concepts. Experience in label-free imaging or Optical Coherence Tomography would be appreciated.
- The candidate must be able to present his/her work to an interdisciplinary audience of biologists/physicists and physicians. An interest in interdisciplinarity is required to successfully complete this project.
-An advanced level of programming (ideally Matlab or Python) is required.

Your Work Environment

Most organs are made up of tissues organized in sheets comprising distinct layers of cells separated by basement membranes of extracellular matrix. This architecture is found in various tissues throughout the body (cardiac, pulmonary, endothelial, retinal, cerebral, etc.). The construction of complex biological tissues remains a major
challenge for the future of biology and medicine, and the construction of functional organ models is becoming a crucial issue for modeling in biology and issues such as cell therapy. This calls for new techniques for assembling, structuring and culturing three-dimensional biological constructs. The construction of 3D biological tissues
presents a number of challenges, including the spatial separation of cell groups, which tend to migrate and mix. Moreover, in cases where connections and/or signals are desired between different cell layers (in the case of neurons, for example), an orientation of the connections is often necessary.
To meet these challenges, the AcoustoFluidics team of the PMMH (ESPCI Paris – PSL) and the Neurosciences Paris Seine (NPS) laboratory (Sorbonne University) have developed and optimized an innovative multimodal technology combining acoustic levitation, fluidics and control of mechanical effects, aimed at fabricating,
structuring culturing and stimulating complex biological tissues in acoustic levitation. They have demonstrated the possibility of simultaneously levitating and aggregating neuronal cells at the nodes and specific microstructures at the antinodes, in a hydrogel prepolymer, to form layers of cells separated by layers of biomaterial resulting in a laminar tissue once the hydrogel has set.
Such 3D structuring culture technology has brought new needs in terms of optical imaging and it has become necessary to develop new microscopes which allow the rapid visualization of cells inside such structured tissues.
A third partner, the NCIS team (Nouveaux Concepts pour l'Imagerie et la Détection) at Institut Langevin (ESPCI Paris – PSL), have recently developed new label free microscopies, based on Optical Coherence Tomography
(OCT), which can use the intrinsic optical properties of cells and tissues in order to reconstruct the 3D organization of biological systems and to visualize all living cells inside . A recent microscope module has been recently developed to quantify cellular activity in retinal organoids, and to follow their development for several
weeks.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

2572

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

The research professions