Our Research

Located the CERVO Brain Research Center in Quebec City, DCC-lab is a transdisciplinary team which is specialised in the use of light phenomenons to study and image biological tissues. Our innovative approach allow us to design imaging system with high accuracy and quality even in the research state, answering modern scientific needs of our center. Our main goal: To be the first in line in the development of imaging système to study the brain. With a diversified team, DCC-lab is taking up any challenge

Amongst all current imaging modalities, optical microscopy is the only method capable of probing live tissue with cellular and subcellular resolution and is the only one with a broad range of molecular contrast mechanisms. This versatility comes from the fact that the photon energy is comparable to that of molecular orbitals and consequently, contrasts based on density, absorption, fluorescence, and coherent nonlinear interactions are possible. Imaging strategies based on novel contrast mechanisms can be developed and integrated into current technology to enhance a biologist’s toolbox, or can be developed into new imaging devices to enable innovative applications in life sciences.

Our group stands at the interface between optical technologies and biology, and we pursue a research program that has the following long-term objectives:

  1. To develop neurosurgical guidance tools for Parkinson’s treatment with advanced optical spectroscopy
  2. To use advanced imaging techniques to study the brain network and identify functional differences in healthy and diseased brains
  3. To make tools for other scientists.

We fulfill these goals through collaborative projects with our biologist colleagues that build on the expertise of our multidisciplinary team.

 

Live imaging of the spinal cord with labelled neurons and  bloow flow.

Deep brain stimulation consists in inserting permanent electrodes to stimulate the sub thalamic nucleus and remove Parkinson’s symptoms.

Fiber-based spectroscopy system in the brain.

Myelin of the spinal cord in transverse plane imaged with CARS imaging.

Monocytes

Multiphoton imaging of a brain slice. Red, green and Blue are show monocytes, astrocytes and blood vessels.