Queen’s CardioPulmonary Unit (QCPU)

Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario
What the facility does

Medical research facility specializing in heart, lung, blood and vascular diseases, with onsite respiratory and echocardiogram clinic

Areas of expertise

The Queen’s CardioPulmonary Unit (QCPU) is a medical research facility that is focused on a bench-to-bedside philosophy with emphasis on heart, lung, blood and vascular diseases. QCPU is comprised of a state-of-the-art basic science research facility that is complemented by an onsite Kingston Health Sciences Center (KHSC) satellite clinic. Our research facility contains a flow and sorting cytometer, cell culturing suite, 2-photon confocal microscope, protein arrayer and celluSPOT, small animal tri-modality micro-scanner (CT/PET/SPECT), histology core, NGS sequencer, and Helio/Hyperion mass cytometer. QCPU’s KHSC clinic, with clinical trials research capacity, contains an echocardiography ultrasound machine, electrocardiogram machines (static and active), pulmonary stress suite and fitness equipment to create the unique ability to perform stress-ECHOS on a reclined bike. QCPU enhances existing links between clinical and basic investigators at Queen’s and fosters new collaborations between researchers in other faculties and at other universities.

Research services
  • Consultation / Experimental design
  • Flow and sorting cytometry
  • Confocal Imaging – Fixed samples
  • Confocal Imaging – Intravital
  • Confocal Imaging – Live samples
  • Cytometry/Molecular imaging analysis
  • Cell Culturing
  • Histology
  • Electron Microscopy
  • Hyperion Mass Cytometry
  • Helios Mass Cytometry
  • Mass Cytometry analysis
  • Multi-analyte array
  • Protein Array
  • CelluSPOT
  • Nucleic acid quantification
  • Liquid Handling
  • PCR/qPCR/RTPCR
  • Next Generation Sequencing
  • Bioinformatics
  • Biobanking
  • Small-Animal Imaging CT Scanning
  • Small-Animal Imaging PET Scanning
  • Small-Animal Imaging SPECT Scanning
  • Radioisotope labelling
  • Clinic Space
  • Echocardiogram ultrasounds
  • Pulmonary fitness testing
  • Electrocardiograms (static and active)
Sectors of application
  • Healthcare and social services
  • Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
  • Professional and technical services (including legal services, architecture, engineering)
EquipmentFunction
SONY SH800S FACS Cell SorterFlow and sorting cytometer
Leica SP8 super resolution confocal microscopeConfocal microscope capable of fixed, live or intra-vital imaging
Illumina NextSeq 550 SystemNext-generation sequencer (part of a sequencing center)
Fluidigm CyTOF Hyperion/Helios Imaging SystemMass Cytometer
MILabs VECTor4CT Imaging SystemSmall animal CT/SPECT/PET scanner
LabLogic Scan-RAMPET/SPECT radio TLC-Scanner
Leica CM1860 CryostatHistology cryostat (part of a whole histology core)
Leica HistoCore MULTICUTSemi-Automated Rotary Microtome. Histology microtome (part of a whole histology core).
Leica HistoCore PEARLTissue Processor. Histology processor (part of a whole histology core).
Leica HistoCore ArcadiaParaffin Embedding Machine. Histology embedder (part of a whole histology core).
Intavis MultiPep RSiAutomated high-throughput peptide synthesizer
Invatis CelluSpot Peptide ArraysPeptide slides spotter
Lonza 4D-Nucleofector XY UnitsAutomatic transfector (part of a whole cell culturing suite)
Luminex MAGPIX SystemMulti-analyte arrayer, Multi-ELISA readers
BioSpherix Xvivo Incubation System model X3Hypoxia chamber (part of a whole cell culturing suite)
Agilent xCELLigence RTCA DPCell Invasion and Migration equipment (part of a whole cell culturing suite)
ThermoFisher Scientific Invitrogen Qubit 4 FluorometerDNA/RNA/Protein quantification and qualification
Philips EPIQ 7G Ultrasound SystemCardiology Ultrasound machine
GE CASE Exercise Testing System with Medisoft consoleElectrocardiogram system to assess cardiac function conveniently during exercise (includes treadmill, reclined bike and upright bike)
GE CAM HD + treadmillVariable Electrocardiogram
GE MAC 5500 HDStatic Electrocardiogram