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)

Equipment

Function

SONY SH800S FACS Cell Sorter

Flow and sorting cytometer

Leica SP8 super resolution confocal microscope

Confocal microscope capable of fixed, live or intra-vital imaging

Illumina NextSeq 550 System

Next-generation sequencer (part of a sequencing center)

Fluidigm CyTOF Hyperion/Helios Imaging System

Mass Cytometer

MILabs VECTor4CT Imaging System

Small animal CT/SPECT/PET scanner

LabLogic Scan-RAM

PET/SPECT radio TLC-Scanner

Leica CM1860 Cryostat

Histology cryostat (part of a whole histology core)

Leica HistoCore MULTICUT

Semi-Automated Rotary Microtome. Histology microtome (part of a whole histology core).

Leica HistoCore PEARL

Tissue Processor. Histology processor (part of a whole histology core).

Leica HistoCore Arcadia

Paraffin Embedding Machine. Histology embedder (part of a whole histology core).

Intavis MultiPep RSi

Automated high-throughput peptide synthesizer

Invatis CelluSpot Peptide Arrays

Peptide slides spotter

Lonza 4D-Nucleofector XY Units

Automatic transfector (part of a whole cell culturing suite)
Luminex MAGPIX System Multi-analyte arrayer, Multi-ELISA readers

BioSpherix Xvivo Incubation System model X3

Hypoxia chamber (part of a whole cell culturing suite)

Agilent xCELLigence RTCA DP

Cell Invasion and Migration equipment (part of a whole cell culturing suite)

ThermoFisher Scientific Invitrogen Qubit 4 Fluorometer

DNA/RNA/Protein quantification and qualification

Philips EPIQ 7G Ultrasound System

Cardiology Ultrasound machine

GE CASE Exercise Testing System with Medisoft console

Electrocardiogram system to assess cardiac function conveniently during exercise (includes treadmill, reclined bike and upright bike)

GE CAM HD + treadmill

Variable Electrocardiogram

GE MAC 5500 HD

Static Electrocardiogram

Title

URL

The New Normal – Queen’s Alumni Review

https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/alumnireview/stories/new-normal   

QCPU COVID Research 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJlAsFoTWLg&list=PLbVZkH5-hmmESMfre-kb6OqwyKMHmo0B0&index=1&t=15s

Pulmonary cardiology: Circulating immune cells and the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension

https://www.selectscience.net/editorial-articles/pulmonary-cardiology-circulating-immune-cells-and-the-pathogenesis-of-pulmonary-arterial-hypertension/?artID=50086