The Centre for Phenogenomics (TCP)

Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario
What the facility does

Provides custom mouse model creation, preclinical in vivo research services, comprehensive or disease-area specific phenotyping and pathology and biorepository services

Areas of expertise

The Centre for Phenogenomics conducts and enables groundbreaking research and discovery, with the goal of advancing human health. Our facilities and our ability to generate, hold, analyze, archive and distribute a critical mass of mouse models are integrated under one roof to enable the best science supported by the best infrastructure and access to our collective expertise.

Research services

Custom mouse model generation, breeding services, preclinical models and services, phenotyping services, pathology services, cryopreservation and recovery services

Sectors of application
  • Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment

Specialized lab

Equipment

Function

Model Production

ES cell culture facility

 

Transgenic Core facility equipped with microinjection stations

 

Molecular biology equipment including robotics

 

Transgenic Surgery suite in the strict barrier of animal facility

Gene targeting in embryonic stem (ES) cells

 

Preparation of ES cells for aggregation or microinjection to generate chimeras

 

Derivation of novel ES cell lines

 

Mouse embryo culture

 

Generation of chimeras (from ES cells) by aggregation and microinjection

 

Transgenic and Cas9 mediated mouse production by pronuclear injection

 

Preparation of reagents for microinjections & genotyping including Cas9 founders

 

Embryo transfer surgery of manipulated embryos and rederivation of mouse strains into SPF status

 

Animal Holding

SPF exclusion barrier mouse holding facility

 

Biosafety Containment Level 2 holding facility

 

Quarantine mouse holding facility

 

Whole-body irradiator

 

Individually ventilated mouse cages and racks (36,000-cage capacity)

 

Automated robotic cage processing system

 

Automated and monitored building control systems

 

Web-enabled Laboratory Information Management System (TCP LIMS)

Custom breeding, weaning and identification

 

Procurement, importation and exportation

 

Daily animal care and colony management

 

Preclinical in vivo research

 

Husbandry and technical services 

 

Mouse colony diagnostics and health monitoring

Clinical Phenotyping

Purpose-built facilities with state-of-the-art equipment for comprehensive or focused physiological and neurobehavioural phenotyping

Neurological assessment: behaviour, learning and memory, sensory perception

 

Organ system assessment: metabolic, cardiovascular, pulmonary, musculoskeletal, blood, urinary

 

Reproductive and developmental assessment: fertility, viability, embryo phenotyping

Pathology

Gross pathology suite for rodent necropsy

 

Paraffin histology suite for rodent and larger species tissue processing

 

Plastic histology suite for undecalcified tissue processing (i.e. bone)

 

Immunohistochemistry (manual and automated)

 

Molecular pathology suite (Arcturus PIXCELL IIe and Arcturus XT laser capture microdissection instruments)

 

Histopathology suite (brightfield and fluorescence microscopes, whole-tissue slide scanner, image analysis)

 

Beckman AU480 Biochemistry Analyzer

Pathology services for mouse and other laboratory animals for research and drug discovery

 

Gross pathology, including necropsy, special dissections and macroimaging

 

Histology, including handling, processing, cutting and staining fixed and frozen tissue

 

Immunohistochemistry – optimizing new antibodies and routine IHC

 

Molecular pathology using laser-capture microdissection for isolation and purification of DNA and RNA from captured cells

 

Histopathology, including image-enabled reporting and whole-tissue slide scanning

 

Embryonic lethal and neonatal death investigation

 

Blood biochemistry analysis for 18 different analytes and LIH score

Cryopreservation & Recovery

Large-capacity liquid nitrogen repository equipment

 

–800C repository equipment

Embryo cryopreservation and recovery

 

Sperm cryopreservation and recovery

 

Strain rescue and expansion

 

Mouse line and ES cell distribution

Imaging

7T MRI scanner for mice

 

High resolution specimen X-ray CT-scanner

 

High frequency ultrasound

 

Optical projection tomography

Allows high throughput screening of mouse physiology and anatomy

 

Visualization of microcirculation and bone morphology

 

Assessment of cardiac function and fetal development in mice

 

Visualization of early embryo development in mice

  • Mount Sinai Hospital
  • The Hospital for Sick Children
  • TCP Inc.
  • International Knockout Mouse Consortium (IKMC)
  • International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC)