Marseille Stem Cells (MaSC) Platform
The Marseille Stem Cells (MaSC) platform carries out cellular reprogramming, separation and the characterisation and quality control of human pluripotent stem cells. It also trains users. It also contributes to technology development, in particular through the adaptation to new reprogramming techniques or the optimisation of differentiation protocols. The hiPSCs platform benefits from several subsidies, in particular from the Association Française contre les Myopathies (AFM - French Muscular Dystrophy Association), the Medical Research Foundation (FRM), and the Aix Marseille Université Foundation. The MaSC platform is associated with a number of research programmes led by members of our unit (AFM, ANR, A*Midex, etc.) and was recently awarded an Aix Marseille Université label. The platform is open to external users for training, reprogramming on demand or the production of differentiated cells intended for the modelling of diseases and the screening of medicines, etc.
ReMap Platform
ReMap aims to provide the most extensive, high-quality regulatory region catalogues based on a large-scale integrated analysis of around a hundred transcription factors and regulators drawn from DNA-binding experiments on Homo sapiens and Arabidopsis. In the 2020 update of ReMap, we collected, analysed and kept, after a quality control, 2,764 new ChIP-seq human datasets and 208 ChIP-exo datasets available from public sources. The updated human atlas contains 5,798 datasets covering a total of 1,135 transcriptional regulators (TRs) with a catalogue of 165 million peaks. All of the catalogues can be accessed via the track hubs on the Ensembl and UCSC Genome browsers. ReMap also proposes a new web environment with an interactive user interface, including optimised research functionalities. Lastly, full access to underlying data is available via a RESTful API, accompanied by a new R Shiny interface providing a TR binding enrichment analysis tool.
Animal Phenotyping Platform (APP)
The Animal Phenotyping Platform (APP) is a structure dedicated to the study of animal (zebrafish and mice) models of genetic diseases. It provides researchers with cutting-edge facilities to identify and study mouse models of human diseases. It also establishes protocols for the phenotyping of specific models through functional experiments. The promotion of training opportunities for graduate and PhD students is also part of our mission. The laboratory is fully equipped to meet the needs of researchers assessing animal behaviour (Morris water maze, open field, Cat-Walk (approach analysis system), T-maze, viewpoint, etc.) as well as other physiological parameters (grip strength test, plethysmograph, phenorack, etc.), and performing surgery on animals.
