July 20, 2018
Bulletin interne de l'Institut Pasteur
July 12 saw the official opening of the newly installed Titan Krios™ microscope on the Institut Pasteur's Paris campus at a ceremony attended by Frédérique Vidal, French Minister for Higher Education, Research and Innovation. Alongside the Institut Pasteur Board of Directors’ Chairman Christian Vigouroux, the President Stewart Cole, the head of the Structural Studies of Macromolecular Machines in cellula unit Dorit Hanein, and the Institut Pasteur ambassador Erik Orsenna, the minister headed the official delegation in charge of unveiling the remarkable new microscope located in the Nocard building.
The ceremony was streamed live to the public in the CIS auditorium and commented by Erik Orsenna, who was appointed as a special envoy for the event, giving the audience an idea of the extraordinary power offered by the microscopy system for observing cells and getting a closer look at life. With the Titan Krios™, biological structures and phenomena such as viruses, cell components and protein complexes can now be visualized with an unprecedented level of detail. Dorit Hanein, the researcher in charge of the microscope’s operation, gave a live demonstration of its use.
After this unique opening sequence, in the company of the Scientific Director Olivier Schwartz and Vice-President Communications and Fundraising Jean-François Chambon, the members of the official delegation took to the CIS stage in turn, emphasizing the tremendous importance of the investment made by the Institut Pasteur. Its researchers now have access to a tool of unrivaled power for visualizing the intricate details of living systems and helping to address health challenges. "Biology is undergoing a new revolution!", remarked Frédérique Vidal.
The delegates also attended a lecture given by Erik Orsenna on the theme of "Seeing!", emphasizing "Knowledge is a collection of elegant metaphors; we need sophisticated images to make this visible."
The speeches ended with thanks from Christophe D’Enfert, Vice-President Technology and Scientific Programs, and Jean-François Chambon, who respectively acknowledged the generous support of institutional funding bodies and academic institutions, as well as sponsors and more than 10,000 donors.
The event ended with a drinks reception and viewing of a photography exhibition.
Review the opening event on July 12, 2018
This event offered a chance to discover several specially designed visuals relating to the microscope.
►Review the time-lapse video of the microscope being built in both short and full-length versions.
Short version
Full-length version
►You can also view a dedicated informative video that explains the benefits of the Titan KriosTM microscope and its importance in a simple and fun way.
This event was covered on the Institut Pasteur's social media and also got a live tweet. Check out some of the highlights on Twitter.
►A video of the Titan KriosTM microscope was also posted on social media.
Lastly, there was widespread coverage of the microscope’s installation and unveiling on TV and radio and in the press :
Le nouvel équipement permettra de regarder des molécules biologiques, à l'échelle atomique, et leurs agencements dans des cellules qui n'auront pas été dégradées.
Difficile d'imaginer que l'armoire haute de plus de 4 mètres qui a trouvé place dans les locaux de l'Institut Pasteur à Paris est en fait un...
Olivier Schwartz, directeur scientifique de l'Institut Pasteur, nous décrit l'un des microscopes les plus grands et des plus puissants du monde, le Titan Krios.
Ce microscope, haut de presque quatre mètres et d'un coût de plusieurs millions d'euros, va permettre à l'institut français de préciser ses recherches jusqu'à l'atome. Un gigantesque microscope pour observer l'infiniment petit.
Sciencesetavenir.fr - 12/07/2018
Quatre mètres de haut et un coût de cinq millions d'euros, dont une partie a été financée par des dons : le microscope Titan Krios, construit par la firme Thermo Fisher Scientific, a tout d'un géant.
Cet engin de plusieurs mètres de haut, inauguré par l'Institut Pasteur ce jeudi, est un cryo-microscope électronique, si précis qu'il permet d'observer les cellules à l'échelle de l'atome. Une révolution technologique qui laisse présager des avancées importantes dans le domaine de la sant.
Dorit Hanein, biologiste à San Diego, expert mondial du Titan, a supervisé son installation dans les sous-sols de l’Institut Pasteur. LP/Yann Foreix La bête sommeille au sous-sol de l’Institut Pasteur, dans le XVe arrondissement de Paris.
19/20 France 3 Ile de France – 12/07/2018