ABOUT ME
Graduate from Strasbourg University (France) in collaboration with RIKEN (Japan). I am currently doing a post-doc at the University of Juvaskyla on the effect of HSV infection on cells in the group of Maija Vihinen-Ranta. This leads me to collaborate with a lot of different researchers all over Europe to employ different advanced imaging methods, as well as learn from the most advanced experts.
EDUCATION
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Biology microscopy
Wide-field, confocal or bi-photon microscope
2013 - 2018
University of Strasbourg - FRANCE
RIKEN - JAPAN
Ph.D. in biological sciences
Single molecule microscopy
High sensitivity or STORM based microscope
Image analysis by programming
Thousands of images, timelapse series
Engineer skills
Protocol development/optimization
2012 - 2013
University of Strasbourg - FRANCE
RIKEN - JAPAN
Master degree in molecular and cellular microscopy
2009 - 2012
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE) - FRANCE
EPHE diploma in biological sciences
Details
BTS biotechnology
BTS (Superior Technician Diploma) is a 2 years formation at school. The BTS Biotechnology, located in Lyon, focused its formation on forming students for public and private research and production laboratories. A lot of students continue their formation on a more focused discipline by doing the last year of a professional license.
Even if the focus of this formation is very wide, I learned the majority of the classical cellular and molecular biology techniques, such as PCR, SB, WB, bacterial, and human cell culture. As well as more focused ones, such as HPLC or protein production in an incubator.
If the two internships that I did during these 2 years were interesting (cancer biology and symbiosis), I felt that I needed to be more involved in the scientific project itself to enjoy my work.
EPHE
EPHE diploma is forming engineer equivalent scientist, as well as Master and Ph.D. If the school is localized in Paris, there are professors everywhere in France. The students are generally working in a lab, while assisting to predetermined courses, lasting generally one week each, in the domain that the student wants to study. the subject to study can vary from classical molecular biology to ecology.
In my case, I worked in the team of Dr. Anna Salvetti, in the Laboratory of Virology at Lyon, while following courses in molecular biology, and cellular communication, then focused on virology with the Pr. Thierry Dupressoir at Montpellier.
My project was focused on the interaction between the Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) and the cell nucleus, such as the speckles, Cajal body, or PML bodies. In addition to learning how to manage a scientific project, I got the opportunity to learn about microscopy at the microscopy platform, using Nikon and Zeiss confocal as well as an Olympus timelapse.
Master IRIV
During my EPHE diploma, I fell in love with microscopy and wanted to increase my knowledge of it, motivating me to apply for the master IRIV, a master focusing on microscopy technic and image analysis. A master's is originally 2 years, but using my EPHE diploma, I entered directly the second year.
I studied different microscopes, more specifically the super-resolution technique and image analysis technique using Matlab. I got the opportunity to do my 6 months internship in Japan, in a RIKEN laboratory located in Osaka. My project was to develop a microfluidic chip that permits the observation of fluorescently labeled proteins at a single-molecule resolution and to separate them by their molecular size.
Thesis
I decided to continue in thesis with Dr. Taniguchi, in Japan and Dr. Arntz, in Strasbourg, on the same project as my Master's. I realized later that the project was not possible: the material that I used to do the microfluidic, the PDMS, absorbs proteins, making it unsuitable for protein separation. Other materials should have been used, but the group lacked in expertise and materials to do so. So I changed my focus to "single-cell proteome profiling", where I tried to isolate a single cell, lysate, and label its protein contents before migrating the proteome on an SDS-PAGE gel. I develop a 100-um thin gel to enable single-molecule observation, and successfully differentiate different cancer cell lines by realizing a proteome profiling. However, time was lacking, so I decided to publish my first paper on my labeling technique, as well as the bias that my labeling method induced. Between my first paper and my thesis defense, I moved from an SDS-PAGE protein separation to 2D electrophoresis, enabling a better determination of the proteome, and HPLC proteome separation, with the end of the HPLC capillary observed using a light sheet microscope.
Overall, I learned to work using an open-table single-molecule microscope, I got to participate in the development of a single-molecule light-sheet microscope, and on top of that, I learned to use Python 2.7 for my image and data analysis.
Post-Doc
I did my first post-doc in the USA, San Antonio, in the team of Dr. Kitagawa. I worked on CENP-A, the main protein of the centromere. I was mainly interested in its interactions since we got some results suggesting that CENP-A may also be involved in the DNA repair mechanism, through an interaction with the MRN complex. I confirm this interaction in vitro and in vivo, showing that there is likely a direct interaction between CENP-A and one component of MRN. To do so, I updated my molecular biology skills, with protein production and purification, as well as my cellular biology skills in general. The Covid19 hit the USA at this time, and with a combination of personal factors, I felt the urge to come back to Europe before being able to publish these results.
During this postdoc, I learned how to be a scientist: how to write for a grant and article, correct the work of a student, and spend time planning and thinking about a scientific project.
Post-Doc
My second is still ongoing at the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland, in the team of Dr Maija Vihinen-Ranta. I have been hired for my image analysis and microscope knowledge for the HORIZON2020-COCID program. The COCID program goal is to develop a platform for cryo-soft-x-ray microscopy outside of synchrotron facilities, collaborating with SIRIUS-XT for this. I learned new skills, such as sample preparation for soft-x-ray, cryo-plunge, and cryo-check. Some of my samples have been sent to ALBA, Spain, and Berkeley, USA for confirmation, and I analyzed and quantified these images for publication, investigating the changes in mitochondria during Herpes Virus infection. To validate these results, I collaborate with a lot of researchers to use an array of different techniques, from classical microscopy to electron microscopy and mitochondrial assay. I also collaborate with other researchers to perform some experiments such as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), microscopy, machine learning, and data analysis for different projects. Finally, I designed and planned a full project on the visualization of neurofilament in neuronal cell culture during HSV infection, using a combination of eSRRF and expansion microscopy to visualize viral capsid and neurofilaments at a high enough resolution.
Overall, I learned how to work and collaborate on multiple projects at the same time with other researchers. I improved my data analysis skills, still using Python, but upgrading it to 3.7+.