Historically, the hub was located in the Lyon region, but since the beginning of 2025, it has been expanded to accommodate the In Vivo Imaging Auvergne (IVIA) imaging platform located in the Clermont-Ferrand region.
Under the auspices of Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL1), the Lyon hub draws on an internationally renowned environment for biomedical and technological research in diagnostic and therapeutic medical imaging. Imaging research revolves mainly around multimodal imaging platforms with equipment installed at CERMEP on the Lyon-Est medical campus, at CREATIS on the UCBL / INSA science and technology campus, and in Clermont-Ferrand with the IVIA platform. CERMEP has been awarded the IBISA label and IVIA has been awarded the IBISA label since 2018. This node offers the scientific community a wide range of services based on its equipment park and exceptional clinical environment, complemented by a national veterinary school, VetAgroSup, hosting a research center under private contract.
The Lyon-based imaging platforms feature several innovative pieces of equipment:
- A photon-counting scanner, SPCCT, for human research, unique in France,
- One of four human PET-MRI scanners installed in France, funded by an EquipEx II and the CESAME IHU,
- High-intensity focused ultrasound (HiFU) equipment developed in labTau for MRI-guided therapy of the prostate, liver, kidneys and heart,
- One of the 5 MEGs available in France.
IVIA focuses its expertise on food and nutrition, neuroscience, cardiovascular health and oncology. IVIA is attached to the Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA), and benefits from the UCA Partner platform support structure (President: Pr Jean-Michel Chezal). It is a multi-site platform comprising 4 entities, each specialized in a particular in vivo imaging modality.
- Three units are located in Clermont-Ferrand:
– CHU Gabriel Montpied’s 3T MRI platform dedicated to humans
– the IMoST multimodal imaging platform dedicated to small animals. It brings together equipment based on different radiation sources: PET, CT, optical, multi-source SPECT-CT. The site also boasts the resources needed to carry out such studies, in particular devices for synthesizing and radiolabeling a wide range of radioactive isotopic tracers for use in imaging.
– the experimental catheterization laboratory (LCE) in the Institut Pascal’s image-guided therapy department. This entity is recognized as one of the few national interventional radiology platforms dedicated to angiography of medium-sized animals, combining ultrasound and CT. - The latest entity is located on the INRAE Theix site, around 15km from Clermont-Ferrand:
– the AgroResonance platform. It features a high-field MRI, the first 11.7 T device installed in France. This horizontal system, specially dedicated to investigations in mouse models, measures metabolic and functional signatures on different nuclei with a high level of sensitivity.
In addition, the node has well-characterized patient cohorts in neurology (Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, Cognitive Neuroscience Center, CREATIS, Stroke Research Unit), cardiology (CarMeN) and dedicated echocardiography expertise.
The research carried out in the laboratories supporting the hub’s platforms is focused on 5 main areas:
- Development and validation of dedicated imaging agents for multispectral X-ray imaging (SPCCT) for neurology, cardiovascular and oncology applications;
- Methodological developments for MRI and NMR spectroscopy
- Multimodal MRI and Intra-Vital Optical Imaging
- Digital modeling,
- Data analysis; part of the development work has made a significant contribution to the software infrastructure of the IAM node (VIP image processing environment developed within CREATIS).
Preclinical and clinical imaging platforms / scientific managers
Multi-modal and molecular imaging, PET, PET-MRI, MRI, SPCCT : CERMEP – Luc Zimmer
Center for Research in Image Acquisition and Processing for Health: CREATIS– PiLoT platform – Olivier Beuf
Ultrasound Therapeutic Applications Laboratory : LabTAU (U 1032 INSERM – UCBL) – Cyril Lafon
NMR platform for agronomy, agri-food and nutrition : AgroResonance – Jean-Marie Bonny (Auvergne Regional Manager) – Guilhem Pagés (Platform Manager) and Leslie Mazuel (Coordinator)
Research laboratories associated with the hub
Lyon:
Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Diabetology and Nutrition Research Laboratory : CarMeN – Hubert Vidal
Center de lutte contre le cancer and Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL): Anne Metzinger
Clermont-Ferrand :
UMR 1240 INSERM/UCA, directed by Pr Elisabeth Miot-Noirault
UR370 QuaPA INRAE headed by Dr Pierre-Sylvain Mirade.
Radiology department of CHU Gabriel-Montpied, directed by Pr. P. Chabrot,
Useful links: CREATIS, Inserm U1032, IPNL, Inserm U1060, CNRL BIORAN, CNRL CMO, LAGEP , Agroresonance,
Dedicated page: Linkedin France Life Imaging – Lyon