Provides centralized biobanking and digital pathology services to facilitate cutting-edge research and support biomarker development.
UHN Biospecimen Services is located at the core of Toronto’s Discovery District in the largest hospital network in Canada and is one of the leading research institutes in North America. The staff consists of experts in biospecimen management and processing, clinical research, regulatory compliance, quality assurance, biobanking technology, and pathology.
The established program leverages over 20 years of combined biobanking expertise from the McCain GU BioBank and the Princess Margaret Cancer Biobank. The consolidated program provides biobanking services to academic and industry collaborators, including participant recruitment, tissue, and biofluid sample processing, DNA and RNA extraction, short-term and long-term storage, laser capture microdissection, digital slide scanning, tissue microarray construction, and biobanking consulting. UHN Biospecimen services houses an inventory of over 1.5 million banked biospecimens with detailed annotated data. Requestors can contact team members to discuss new projects and develop study procedures to specifications.
- Participant recruitment
- Biospecimen collection (tissue and biofluid)
- Biospecimen processing (tissue and biofluid)
- DNA and RNA extraction
- Pathology review
- Storage (long-term and short-term)
- Biospecimen shipping
- Laser capture microdissection
- Digital slide scanning
- Tissue microarray construction
- Database creation
- Biobank consultation
- Healthcare and social services
Specialized labs and equipment
| Specialized lab | Equipment | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Pathology | Leica LMD6 Laser Capture Microdissection Microscope | Harvests specific cells from a diverse cell population using a precise laser and gravitational force that enabled in-depth analysis of cells. |
| Digital Pathology | Aperio AT2 Slide Scanner | Automated brightfield scanner that precisely digitizes whole slides at optimal quality. |
| Digital Pathology | Tissue MicroArrayer | Paraffin embedded block that consists of multiple cylindrical cores of tissue and can be used for molecular analysis. |
| Digital Pathology | Automated Liquid Handler | Provides pipetting technology for high accuracy, precision, and reparability from sub-microliter to large volumes. |
| Biobanking Storage | Liquid Nitrogen Tanks | Liquid Nitrogen tanks with -1800C temperature capacity equipped with alarm sensors. |
| Biobanking Storage | Mechanical Freezers | Mechanical freezers with -800C temperature capacity equipped with alarm sensors. |
Private and public sector research partners
- University of Toronto
Additional information
| Title | Hyperlink |
|---|---|
| UHN Biospecimen Services | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWv6WKz8VlE&ab_channel=UHNBiospecimenServices |
| The Responses of Biobanks to COVID-19 | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32871085/
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| Act Local, Think Global! The First ISBER-UHN Virtual Symposium. | https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/bio.2020.29078.ajb
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