Research on biological mechanisms of disease and the development of new treatments.
The UHN Research Core Facilities has created an operating model of extensive shared-facility support for basic science research in the Keenan Research Centre. We provide the latest equipment and techniques, in addition to professional training and management. By reducing duplication and increasing usage, the facility offers significant savings, creating a critical mass where cutting-edge equipment and techniques are available to our scientists.
Research Core Facilities is spread over three floors and includes both common and specialized facilities, such as Flow Cytometry, Molecular Biology, and Histology. Each has a core coordinator whose primary role is to train users and provide technical expertise in the design and execution of scientific experiments. The Research Bioimaging Facility has a variety of basic and specialized equipment for image capture, analysis and display, and two coordinators are available for support. In addition, a state-of-the-art vivarium is available, providing training and assistance and adhering to the latest guidelines and regulations.
- Flow Cytometry Core
- Histology Core
- Molecular Biology Core
- Bioimaging Centre
- Molecular Pathology Core specialty service
- Research Vivarium
- Tissue Bank
- Microfabrication Core and 3D printing
- Healthcare and social services
- Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
Specialized labs and equipment
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Specialized lab |
Equipment |
Function |
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Flow Cytometry |
MACSQuant analyzers |
The Flow Cytometry Core provides access to several flow cytometers and a cell sorter allowing investigation of surface proteins, cellular proliferation, apoptosis, microparticle populations and immunophenotyping as well as supporting systems to prep and analyze cells. |
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FACSAria III |
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FACSCalibur 1 |
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Fortessa X20 |
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Celigo |
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Molecular devices ImageXpress Micro |
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Histology |
Leica TP1020 Tissue Processor |
The Histology Core provides all of the equipment and expertise to safely and effectively prepare fresh or fixed tissues crucial to the investigation of tissue structure, function and pathological progression or successful intervention in preclinical models of disease or human patient samples. |
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Leica EG1160 |
Paraffin embedding. |
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Leica RM2145 Rotary Microtome |
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Leica RM2235 Rotary Microtome |
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Leica CM1900 Cryostat |
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Leica VT1000 S vibrating-blade microtome |
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Leica Autostainer XL |
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Olympus IMT-2 Microscope |
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Molecular Biology |
ABI ViiA7 |
The Molecular Biology Core houses equipment and provides expertise to support the complete workflow for gene expression, genotyping, SNP analysis, viral packaging for gene delivery, cell electroporation for gene delivery, laser capture microdissection specialty service and other various methods to interrogate the molecular regulation of various biological processes. |
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ABI StepOnePlus |
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ABI Veriti Thermocycler |
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NanoString nCounter |
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Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer |
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Captair RNA/DNA Rolling Clean Hood |
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Eppendorf Mastercycler Gradient Thermocycler |
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Bioimaging |
Zeiss LSM 700 Inverted Confocal microscope |
The Bioimaging Centre offers advanced imaging technology, providing access to state-of-the-art equipment. The list includes microscopes for routine imaging of histology stained and fluorescent samples as well as confocal microscopes providing thin optical sections of thick specimens with improved contrast. In addition, an advanced live cell imaging system allows brief or long-term imaging of samples in an environmentally controlled chamber. Several image analysis computers are also available with software to prepare data for publication. |
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Zeiss AxioObserver inverted microscope |
For live cell imaging. |
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Olympus Upright BX50 microscope |
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Nikon Upright E800 microscope |
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Nikon Inverted TE300 microscope |
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iTHERA MSOT |
Multispectral optoacoustic tomography for in vivo whole animal imaging |
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Heidleberg Spectralis (HRA+OCT) |
For multimodal retinal imaging, adapted for use with rodents. |
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Image analysis workstations with advanced software |
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Microfabrication and 3D printing |
Class 10,000 (ISO Class 7) cleanroom space |
The Microfabrication Core provides equipment and expertise in the area of microfabrication and rapid device prototyping for biomedical applications and healthcare. The facilities include Class 10,000 (ISO Class 7) cleanroom space, multi-jet-modeling technology 3D printer for high-definition prototype devices, and general lab equipment. In addition to the equipment, the Microfabrication and Device Development Core offers group and individual trainings, protocol development and validation, 3D modeling and device design, data analysis and consultation services. |
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ProJet 3510 HDPlus 3D printer |
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ProJet Finisher oven |
For support material removal. |
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Beckman Coulter Counter Multisizer 4 |
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Shimadzu UV-3600 UV-VIS-NIR Spectrophotometer |
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Microtrac S3500 particle size analyzer |
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Shimadzu RF-5301PC Spectrofluorophotometer |
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Private and public sector research partners
- University of Toronto
- Toronto Metropolitan University
- iBEST (Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Science Technology)