Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ImageInLife (Training European Experts in Multilevel Bioimaging, Analysis and Modelling of Vertebrate Development and Disease)

Teaser

As new imaging techniques are constantly being developed to understand what is going on within living bodies, it has now become possible to image complex biological processes within living animals. This obviously includes imaging within the human body to understand possible...

Summary

As new imaging techniques are constantly being developed to understand what is going on within living bodies, it has now become possible to image complex biological processes within living animals. This obviously includes imaging within the human body to understand possible pathological situations and open the way to therapeutics, but this also includes understanding developmental processes in model animals as well as imaging disease progression and immune reaction in vivo in real time. The main problem is to adapt these new imaging possibilities to the biological material in use in research laboratories, to develop mathematical tools to study the huge amount of data generated and to translate these progresses into new software for medical image analysis and modelling.

The beneficiaries of the ImageInLife project have identified a need for Europe to train the next generation of imagers in complex biological systems. The idea is that these future experts should be trained in the multidisciplinary aspects of this complex field in order for them to master the whole workflow from image acquisition to modelling through image analysis.

The overall objectives of the projects are :

1) Find the best incubation conditions to image developmental or diseases processes.
2) Find the best reporters to image populations of specific cell types or cells in a given physiopathological state.
3) Find the best microscope setup to achieve the spatial and temporal resolution required to generate images amenable to high throughput analysis.
4) Develop new algorithms for automated and quantitative image analysis.
5) Develop new strategies for computational modelling and simulation of developmental and pathological processes.


We have set a training frame based on both the bench training in their host laboratories and central training events. An enthusiastic group of fourteen Marie Curie Fellows have been recruited and their training and research plans are well on track.

Using the vertebrate embryos as models, the Marie Curie Fellows are presently being trained through research by addressing the following scientific bottlenecks and challenges:
• How to prepare and label the biological samples so that complex biological processes could be imaged.
• How to improve the existing microscopes to get the best images.
• How to deal with the huge amount of images generated during imaging sessions.
• How to use the images to model the ongoing processes.
• How to translate all this into new tools for medical image analysis.

While it is very important for Europe to train the future experts, in academia, in industry and in hospitals to manage in vivo imaging, it is also important to train them to ethical issues and to all skills necessary for them to be good scientists involved in raising the scientific awareness of the general public. For this reason, the the Marie Curie Fellows are also being trained to become fully efficient scientists either in the academia or in the industry through network wide training events that include both technical training sessions and transferable skills training sessions.

The technical training sessions include :
• Introduction to ImageInLife animal models (zebrafish, mice and rabbit);
• BioImaging Training courses;
• Modelling & Simulation of Biological Development;
• Processing and analysis of images;
• Zebrafish High Content Screening, drug screening and Large Data handling.

The Transferable skills trainings include :
• Ethics & Responsibility in Science; Gender issues;
• Personal Career Development Plans;
• Team Buiding Activities;
• Scientific publishing & communication;
• How to produce a MOOC;
• On line Conferences;
• Management of research projects;
• Building a Successful Career in Science.

Work performed

Up to know, all ESRs have started their “in house” training through research in their respective laboratories. Some have been very productive, and have already published scientific articles or have submitted articles relating their results. The fact that most of the relevant articles are co-authored by different beneficiaries of the ImageInLife network highlights the highly integrated work being performed.
The main achievements so far are:
• The preparation of the biological samples for optimal imaging
• The staining strategies to highlight the relevant structures to be imaged
• Protocol for infections to study host-pathogen interactions
• New incubation chambers for in vivo imaging
• Design of image processing and analysis methods
• New strategies to study Cell biomechanics
• New strategies to study Tissue geometry & physics

During the first two years, all ESRs have attended the network wide training events and have been trained to be able to tackle the challenges of a scientific career either in the academics or in the industry.
All ESRs have been involved in outreach activities aimed at raising the scientific awareness of European citizens and advocating EU efforts for science in the context of international cooperation. The flagship initiative has been the dissemination conference in Bratislava “EU SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH” organized with the French Embassy in Slovakia, the Slovak National Contact points for Marie Curie Actions, Euraxess Slovakia and Comenius University within the Midterm review meeting.

Final results

Based upon the already performed work, we are confident that by the end of the project we will have succeeded in going beyond the present state of the art in the following orientations:
• New labels to image in vivo processes either during development or during infectious processes
• New to tools to image biological processes in vivo, microscopes and incubation chambers
• New mathematical tools to analyse 3D or 4D image datasets
• New tools to model development and morphogenesis
• New image processing solutions for high-content screenings using vertebrate embryos.
• Implementation of these results in medical image processing software as it will bring the results of the network to the clinics for better diagnosis and choice of treatments.

Website & more info

More info: http://imageinlife.eu/.