Vertebrates morpho-anatomy facility

At this technical facility, sample preparation (whole individuals or specific organs after dissection) enables us to visualise the morpho-anatomical characteristics of our vertebrate groups of interest. A variety of methodologies are used to fix and stain samples, as well as to describe organs, cells and genes expressed during skeletal development. In particular, specimen preparation includes extraction of bones from raptor rejection balls for morphometric analyses; whole individuals (embryonic stages) or sampling of specific tissues from fresh or fixed samples. Soft tissues can also be stained with contrast agents for virtual dissections (DiceCT dissection methods “Diffusible Iodine-based Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomorgraphy”), which will be performed on the CT-scan platform. Using such a non-destructive and reversible approach, 3D organ reconstructions can be easily performed and shared with the scientific community.