Angiogenesis is a central process to both physiological and pathological aspects of living organisms. Understanding the angiogenic system via the key mediator, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), has led to the development of biophotonic models capable of monitoring how this process is programmed. The whole animal model tested here is based on the involvement of angiogenesis in a wound healing environment. This model proved to be functional as a system monitor but lacked the precision to yield significant results between the biological compounds tested (estrogen, methoxychlor, and relaxin). The in vitro model is based on angiogenesis in a cancer environment. This model proved to be both a valid and functional way of monitoring the biological compounds tested (CoCl2, epinephrine, and norepinephrine).

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides unique advantages such as superior soft tissue contrast, true multiplanar imaging, variable contrast mechanisms, measurement of temperature changes, perfusion and diffusion, and no ionizing radiation. Despite considerable research efforts in the field of interventional MRI, numerous challenges remain including restricted access to the patient, high acoustic noise and a shortage of MRI-safe devices. Novel methods and devices are presented in this thesis with the primary objective of enabling effective MRI-guided interventions, particularly abdominal needle and common catheter-based endovascular interventions. Firstly, a set of MRI-safe devices (guidewires, micro guidewires, catheters and micro catheters) were developed with passive or inductively coupling resonant markers for MRI visualisation. Secondly, a method was implemented for wireless tracking and dynamic guidance of instruments. Thirdly, a framework of technologies was developed for in-room display, wireless MRI remote control and multi-user communication along with a dedicated user interface and imaging protocol. These implementations were assessed in regards to MRI-safety, performance and usability and evaluated for MRI-guided liver biopsies, balloon angioplasty procedures and also for mechanical thrombolysis. Flow phantoms, Thiel soft-embalmed human cadavers with partially re-established perfusion and a porcine model were used for in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo validation, respectively. The results demonstrate that these interventions are experimentally feasible and practical when using the presented developments: automated device tracking and equipment designed for MRI-guided interventions streamlined procedural workflow. Specifically, it was shown that fast and accurate needle placements along complex trajectories were feasible using a wireless interactive display and control device with a dedicated user interface for interventions. Moreover, safe and efficacious balloon angioplasties of the iliac artery were practical using the described framework of technologies along with a dedicated MRI protocol. Finally, it was demonstrated that these developments could be adapted and applied to MRI-guided endovascular mechanical thrombolysis of the middle cerebral artery. The technologies, described in this thesis have been shown to overcome many of the present limitations and should therefore be useful for enabling MRI-guided interventions while not further constraining the operating physician in an already complex environment. Nevertheless, it is acknowledged that many crucial issues remain to be solved in the field of iMRI and in the context of the presented research. In particular further device optimisations, improvements of the tracking implementation along with further in vivo evaluations are required before moving towards clinical evaluation. This thesis sets the groundwork for moving ahead with the eventual clinical realisation of optimised MRI-guided interventions.

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L'isolement de Mycobacterium tuberculosis par culture est la méthode de référence pour le diagnostic de la tuberculose. Le but de notre travail était d'améliorer et de faciliter le diagnostic par culture de la tuberculose. Dans un premier temps, nous avons produit une revue bibliographique en comparant les différentes techniques ou protocoles utilisés pour le diagnostic de la tuberculose. Ce travail nous a permis d'actualiser notre protocole de diagnostic, avec la mise en place d’un "kit-tuberculose" contenant des containers imprégnés de chlorhexidine pour la récupération et la décontamination directe d’échantillons cliniques non- invasifs, suivi par la culture sur un milieu solide à base d'oeuf, et détection des colonies par microscope inversé ou par un système d'imagerie en temps réel. Nous avons mis en place une méthode de décontamination par 0,7%-chlorhexidine et avons montré que cette méthode était plus efficace que la méthode de référence NALC-NaOH. Ensuite, nous avons développé un milieu de culture à base de sérum animal, le MOD9 dont nous avons montré par une étude comparative qu'il était supérieur au milieu solide LJ de référence. Une deuxième étude comparant un protocole de décontamination par la chlorhexidine et culture sur milieu MOD9 au protocole standard, NALC-NaOH/Bactec960 a montré une supériorité par rapport au protocole standard. Enfin, la mise en place d'un système de détection des micro-colonies de M. tuberculosis sur MOD9 par imagerie en temps réel Advencis-Biosystem a permis de réduire le temps de détection de M. tuberculosis à 3,2 jours avec le protocole chlorhexidine/MOD9/Advencis, avec un record mondial de détection en 25h. / Isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by culture is the gold standard for the diagnosis of tuberculosis. The aim of my thesis work was to simplify and improve the culture diagnosis of tuberculosis. At first we started with a bibliographic study, comparing step by step the different techniques and protocols that have been used for the diagnosis of tuberculosis. This work has allowed us to update our tuberculosis diagnosis protocol, starting with the implementation of a "Tuberculosis-kit" consisting of chlorhexidine containing containers for the recovery and decontamination of non-invasive specimens, followed by culture on an egg-based medium, a micro- colonies detection using an inverted microscope or an automated real-time imaging incubator system and finally an identification using mass spectrometry. We established a new chlorhexidine- based decontamination method that we showed to be more efficient for the recovery and isolation of M. tuberculosis than the standard NALC-NaOH method. Than we developed a new serum-based culture medium, the MOD9 that we showed in a comparative study to be superior to the reference LJ medium for the recovery of M. tuberculosis. In a second study we proved that our chlorhexidine/MOD9 protocol was superior to the standard NALC-NaOH/Bactec 960 MGIT protocol for the isolation of M. tuberculosis. And finally the implementation of a real time imaging system for the detection of M. tuberculosis micro-colonies on MOD9 permits us to dramatically reduce the detection time from 15 days with the standard NALC-NaOH/Bactec 960 MGIT protocol to 3.2 days with our 0.7%-chlorhexidine/MOD9/Advencis-Biosystem protocol with a world record detection time of 25h.