MOBICYTE : mobile cytometry in environmental risk assessment
Abstract
Commonly used in biomedical science, flow cytometry is more and more implemented in environmental sciences allowing studies on numerous cell types such as bacteria, yeasts, phyto / zooplankton and invertebrates and vertebrates cells. Environmental cytometry requires adaptations of techniques in cellular biology. Developments of field methodologies are required in order to study cell organizations and functions closed to their interactions with environmental variables and environmental stress in wild contexts and with taking into account of samples quality preservation. In this context, the mobile environmental flow cytometry core facility named MOBICYTE is dedicated to applications in numerous scientific fields and particularly in environmental toxicology and ecotoxicology, but also in functional ecology and integrative ecophysiology. This core can be used by research teams as well as by public and private organizations working in environmental biomonitoring programs. Our mobile equipment is operable in the more isolated environmental field contexts (aquatic and terrestrian), considering cell models from various animal species (algae, mollusk, fish, wild mammals…). Some studies using MOBICYTE platform will be described in order to present new opportunities for biomonitoring the health status of wildlife organisms in health and environmental risk assessments contexts.