Myriade is a biotechnology company that develops innovative nanoscale imaging technology. Based on the works of the Langevin Institute, a French academic laboratory specialized in optical and ultrasonic technologies for life sciences, the technology Videodrop relies on a single-arm interferometric technique. It makes it possible to visualize without labeling living nanoparticles such as viruses, phages, or extracellular vesicles. The process was developed by Professor Claude Boccara at the request of Professor Martine Boccara, a specialist in virology, who was looking for a quick method to list viruses present in seawater samples collected during the Tara Oceans expedition in 2013.
Based on the principles of interferometry, the Videodrop allows seeing nanometric particles in the range of 30-200 nm. The observation is done in 3 steps:
- Device – A solution of 5 to 10µL containing nanoparticles is placed on a microwell lighted by a simple LED, while an optic system, coupled to a camera, films their movements.
- Video – The resulting movie shows in real-time the displacement of the nanoparticles. A tracking algorithm allows following the trajectory of the observed objects.
- Analysis – Dedicated software allows for the calculation of speeds and distances of the trajectories enables the definition of the type, the size, and the number of observed elements. The result is displayed on the user’s interface almost instantly.