Jean-Baptiste Salmon

CNRS scientist -
LOF - UMR 5258 joint lab Solvay, CNRS and Bordeaux University

Can you describe in a few words your research work? And the project and experiments for which you wanted to use PRIMO?

« Our research is at the frontier of soft matter physics and process engineering. More precisely, we develop microfluidic tools to study industrial processes (mixing, flow, drying, filtration, etc.) involving soft matter systems such as polymers or colloids. We use PRIMO to integrate hydrogel membranes in microfluidic devices to mimic ultrafiltration and dialysis processes on the scale of a few nanoliters. »

Long and thin hydrogel membrane (9 mm x 25 µm) in a microfluidic chip for dialysis applications.
Long and thin hydrogel membrane (9 mm x 25 µm) in a microfluidic chip for dialysis applications. Nguyen et al. Lab Chip 2020, doi : 10.1039/d0lc00279h. See also Decock et al. Lab Chip 2018, doi: 10.1039/c7lc01342f

What made you choose PRIMO ?

« PRIMO allows the photo-polymerization of hydrogel membranes in microfluidic chips with good spatial resolution (a few microns) and intense illumination, while allowing the realization of complex custom structures, such as membranes on a centimeter scale in non-rectilinear channels. »

Which solution did you use before using PRIMO?

« We made these same hydrogels by standard photo-polymerization through a mask and using the UV lamp of a microscope. Problems encountered included poor illumination, difficulty in alignment of the photo-mask, especially for the fabrication of complex structures, and difficulty to control precisely the UV dose deposited. »

Is the PRIMO system matching your expectations? And how would you qualify its performances?

« We use the software Leonardo only to the minimum of its capabilities, and there’s nothing to find fault with. »

If you were to describe PRIMO in one word, what would it be?

« Versatility »

And finally, how would you qualify the support provided by the team?

« Perfect. »

Find out more on Dr Salmon’s research work and use of PRIMO photopatterning in his papers:

« My interest is to understand the role of biophysical and topological properties of tissue microenvironments, such as stem cell niches, in modulating cell fate. Thus, the ability to precisely tune and control extracellular cell/organelle shape and geometry in 2D and 3D, is of critical importance. PRIMO has been incredibly useful in this regard! »

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« The main interest of the Tardieux’s laboratory and my PhD project is to decipher how forces drive the unique motile and invasive capacities of the single-celled eukaryotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii. I was able to uncover that the parasite glides by coupling polar adhesions and de-adhesion with traction and dragging forces. The PRIMO technique was needed to create composite patterns with a non-adhesive area next to an adhesive one with the crucial request of a sharp demarcation. »

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« We are working on the generation of 3D cellular microenvironments to reproduce Hematopoietic Niches. PRIMO will be used to generate 3D photo-polymerized microenvironments and to pattern them to localize different cell populations involved in the hematopoiesis. »

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« Our aim is to develop in vitro experimentation to decipher guiding mechanisms involved in vivo. PRIMO technology is particularly adapted to design in vitro microdevices patterned with controlled patches of the signaling proteins relevant for white blood cell migration. »

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« We are interested in imaging subcellular localization of certain cell-surface receptors and check whether they colocalize with focal-adhesion complexes. For this purpose, we are interested in making different types of patterns of Fibronectin with subcellular dimensions. »

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« My research project aims at unravelling how a T cell switches from a fast migratory state to a stationary state upon activation. To do so, I perform live cell imaging of T cells migrating inside micro-fabricated channels coated with activating molecules. However, with this approach, I do not control when and where a T cell encounters the activating molecules. »

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« Protein micropatterning represents an excellent tool to probe the behavior and functions of cellular systems. PRIMO is specially suited for our experiments, in which the cell-substrate interaction needs to be precisely adjusted both throughout the substrates and in time, in order to control the dynamic behaviour of cell monolayers. »

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