ExploLung

Preclinical Platform for Functional Lung Exploration

Why this platform?

Chronic respiratory diseases (asthma and COPD) and pulmonary infections represent a major global public health challenge. Understanding their pathophysiology and testing new therapeutic approaches require state-of-the-art tools capable of bridging fundamental research and clinical applications.
This is precisely the mission of the Preclinical Platform for Functional Lung Exploration: to provide researchers and partners with an integrated, innovative, and translational technological environment at the heart of the CIIL.

This technical platform brings together cutting-edge technologies dedicated to respiratory physiology. Unique at the regional level, it combines high-level technical and scientific expertise for in vivo pulmonary function analysis, including invasive respiratory function measurements (FlexiVent), non-invasive approaches (plethysmography), physiological parameters such as oximetry, and histological analyses.
The platform also incorporates alternative models, including organotypic lung slices and lung organoids. The overarching goal is to offer a true one-stop facility to explore, compare, and validate innovative strategies in pulmonary research, while fostering the rapid transfer of discoveries from bench to bedside.

Fine ventilatory mechanics:

analysis of bronchial hyperresponsiveness, airway resistance, lung compliance, pressure–volume curves, cough reflex, etc.

Gas exchange function:

Measurement of gas diffusion and oxygenation levels

Alternative models:

Organotypic lung slices, respiratory organoids, and multicellular co-culture systems.

The platform addresses two main objectives:

  1. Strengthening translational research capacity by enabling a comprehensive assessment of functional alterations in preclinical models of respiratory diseases, in close connection with our research on the impact of environmental factors and pathogenic agents.

  2. Structuring a service offer open to the scientific community, at both local and national levels (including cross-border collaborations, particularly with Belgium), through a shared approach that promotes the pooling of expertise and the optimization of resources.

The strategic role of this technical platform is to provide collaborators with a competitive and unique range of opportunities for exploring lung function, from basal physiological states to pathological conditions. It fully embodies the CIIL’s mission: to accelerate research, foster innovation, and translate discoveries into tangible benefits for respiratory health.
With the support of the CPER Ecrin, a dedicated technical staff ensures the platform’s optimal operation, guaranteeing the quality, reproducibility, and traceability of the data generated.

The platform is a unique asset in respiratory health and represents a strategic lever to:

  • Develop interdisciplinary projects involving immunologists, pulmonologists, biologists, biophysicists, and data scientists.

  • Generate high-impact publications and support the structuring of national (ANR, FRM) and European (Horizon Europe) research projects.

  • Evaluate new molecules, antibodies, or medical devices targeting pulmonary function.

Location

  • Institut Pasteur de Lille campus

  • Pletha animal facility: conventional area, A2 area, and confined area equipped with isolators to accommodate animals originating from external facilities

  • Emile Roux Building, 3rd floor, TIILD laboratory – Targeted Immunomodulation for Infections and Lung Diseases

Contacts

  1. Strengthening translational research capacity by enabling comprehensive evaluation of functional alterations in preclinical models of respiratory diseases, in close connection with our research on environmental factors and pathogenic agents.
  2. Structuring a service offer open to the scientific community, at both local and national levels (and even cross-border, particularly with Belgium), through a shared-resource approach that optimizes expertise and infrastructure.

A strategic asset for respiratory research

The strategic role of this technical platform is to provide collaborators with a competitive and unique range of toolsfor exploring lung function, from basal physiological states to pathological conditions. It fully embodies the CIIL’s mission: to accelerate research, drive innovation, and transform scientific discoveries into tangible benefits for respiratory health.
Thanks to the support of the CPER Ecrin, a dedicated technical staff ensures the platform’s optimal operation, guaranteeing the quality, reproducibility, and traceability of the data generated.

The platform is a unique resource in respiratory health and represents a strategic lever to:

  • Develop interdisciplinary projects involving immunologists, pulmonologists, biologists, biophysicists, and data scientists.
  • Generate high-impact publications and support the structuring of national (ANR, FRM) and European (Horizon Europe) research projects.
  • Evaluate new molecules, antibodies, or medical devices targeting pulmonary function.