The Aquatic Bio-optics and Biogeochemistry Laboratory enables researchers to study the effects of climate change and permafrost thawing on lake water transparency and mixing dynamics and their multiple impacts on the microbial food chain, greenhouse gas emissions, and oxythermal habitat. Research at the Aquatic Bio-Optics and Biogeochemistry Laboratory also focuses on developing optical equipment for early detection of algal and cyanobacterial blooms and other problems related to water browning.
Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry laboratoryThe laboratory is equipped with a four-laser LSRFortessa cytometer that allows high-level multiparametric analyzes to characterize cell populations. A BD FACS Calibur two-laser cytometer is used to perform routine analyzes such as the expression of surface markers. The Zeiss LSM780 confocal microscopy system is a state-of-the-art instrument for the study of various cellular and subcellular biological processes such as intracellular trafficking and localization of pathogen molecules.
This pilot laboratory provides the scientific community and industry with its multidisciplinary expertise and state-of-the-art equipment for the development and scaling of fermentation processes as well as the recovery, purification and characterization of various microbial derivatives. Its primary purpose is R & D in the field of biotechnology, and especially value-added products using putrescible residues as raw material.
• Ionic Chromatograph
• Gas and liquid chromatographs
• Mass spectrometers
• Level 2 Laboratory for Bacteria
This laboratory is used in particular to carry out research work on understanding the environmental fate of energetic materials. The laboratory consists of two experimental pans, the size of which makes it possible to carry out restoration experiments similar to field conditions, but under controlled experimental conditions. These tanks can contain 4 to 9 m3 of soil from contaminated sites or clean soils to which specific contaminants can be added.
A mass spectrometry service is offered to the scientific community for the identification of organic molecules, the analysis of natural products, the quantification of metabolites of pharmaceutical products, the analysis of trace pollutants, the determination of the molecular weight of proteins, the sequencing of peptides. The service includes, among others, a Micromass Quattro II triple quadrupole equipped with gas and liquid chromatography interfaces. It can be operated in positive and negative mode and carry out a mass scan up to 4000 m / z. The mass spectrometry service can perform a variety of MS / MS experiments such as daughter ion, parent ion and neutral fragment loss analysis. Various ionization modes such as electronic impact (EI), chemical ionization (CI), chemical ionization at atmospheric pressure (APCI), electrospray and nanospray can be used. It has an interface for gas chromatography with an HP 6890 gas chromatograph and an interface for HPLC HP 1100 liquid chromatography equipped with an automatic injector and a UV detector.
The service is able to meet several needs in the animal, plant or microbial fields, including:
• Research and identification of viruses from all sources;
• Research and identification (Gram-positive or Gram-negative) and description of bacteria from all sources
• Research and identification of contaminants (eg mycoplasma) in clinical specimens or cell cultures
• Immunoelectromicroscopy with or without colloidal gold on a liquid sample (negative staining) or on cell sections (pre- or post-embedding techniques)
• Quality control of viral fractions of density gradients
• Cell morphology on thin sections
• Quantification of viruses (eg Retrovirus) using latex spheres of known concentration by negative staining.
• Quality control of biological products released to municipal sewage
• Research of Retrovirus in cells, identification and count of the proportion of infected cells (cell sections)
These laboratories make it possible to analyze water samples by colorimetry, fluorometry, spectroscopy, radioisotopy and chromatography, as well as to analyze organic compounds and trace metals present in different matrices (water, effluents, sewage sludge, soils, sediments, biological tissues), and finally, to analyze the elements present in solid samples (rocks, soils, sediments, sludge). X-ray microfluorescence scanning: Non-destructive x-ray analyzes coupled with chemical X-ray fluorescence analysis of rocks, soils and sediments. Scanning electron microscopy: Production of high resolution images of the surface and composition of a sample using technology using electron-matter interactions.