Core Facilities

Cancer Research

The Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Centre and the McGill Life Science Complex have at their disposal and offer the services of several in-house core facilities. These facilities provide the GCC members and the McGill research community access to advanced technical expertise with state-of-the-art equipment. Facility services are also available to the outside scientific community in order to enhance the level of collaborative research. Available Facilities are: Transgenic Mouse Core Facility, Histology Core Facility, Hybridoma Core Facility, Imaging Core Facility, Mouse Phenotyping, Dissection Microscopy, Fluorescence Imaging, Flow Cytometry, High Throughput Screening. Other Services are also available through the Animal Resources Centre: Veterinary Pathology. For more information: cancercentre.mcgill.ca/research

Clinical Research Cord Blood Bank

The Clinical-Research Cord Blood Bank of the McGill University Health Center opened its doors in October 2007. The cord blood units being too small to be banked in a bank of public cord blood but adequate for other clinical applications requiring a low volume of stem cells are process by this bank. It provides isolation of hematopoietic stem cells or other components from the umbilical cord blood at a low price. In a structured program of quality and standardized manufacturing processes, it meets the standards of good laboratory practice and the requirements of Health Canada. This unique bank in Canada contains cord blood units that can be used safely in clinical research projects. A detailed research project and a consent form must accompany all applications. A research ethics committee recognized by the Unit for Ethics of the Government of Québec or by the Panel on Research Ethics of the Canadian Government must approve projects.

The McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, originally established at the MUHC, experienced tremendous changes over the last four years. The Centre launched several technology platforms, including sequencing, genotyping, DNA microarrays, proteomics and informatics. RI MUHC scientists have benefited from subsequent close interactions. These included several large grants funded to RI MUHC scientists in which the access to genome core facilities were essential to the projects.

Infection & Immunity

Offers established satellite technological platforms (e.g.: automated sequencing, cell sorting, multi-parametric flow cytometry, confocal imaging, proteomic platforms like SELDI-ToF mass spectroscopy, Levels 2 and 3 animal facilities, gene microarray technologies).

Musculoskeletal

The Musculoskeletal Core Facilities are located at the MUHC (RVH site) and at the Center for Bone and Periodontal Research (on the McGill campus in the Genome Building). The core facilities offer a wide range of tests on a fee for service basis in all aspects of musculosketal research including complete animal skeletal phenotypes using state of the art technologies (bone density, micro CT, static and dynamic histomorphometry and biomechanics ).The facilities also perform all embedding of skeletal tissues in decalcified and undecalcified samples suitable for histomorphometry, histology, immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. The facilities are also equipped to analyze human specimens from bone biopsies for diagnostic or research purposes. Recently, the core laboratories acquired state of the art florescence imaging equipment suitable for live animal imaging from infrared to green fluorescence. This unique live imaging system has been specifically programmed to monitor the progression of skeletal metastasis in mouse models. Finally, the facilities are performing the full range of bone and mineral homeostasis biomarkers in both human and animal specimens suitable for both clinical and research studies. These assays include but are not limited to: Parathyroid hormone, vitamin D assays, bone formation and resorption markers and FGF23.An in-house animal facility is conveniently located to house short term studies for live imaging. The core facilities welcome collaborations from academia and from the private sector. Members of the Bone Consortium are available for consultation on specific projects including human and animal studies in a wide range of topics. Examples of past studies that have used the core facilities include: skeletal phenotyping of knock-out and transgenic models, osteoporosis studies in both mice and humans, biomarkers analysis in multicenter population health studies and biomechanical assessment of bone strength in human specimens.

Neuroscience

The new Brain Imaging Centre at the MNI will facilitate the development of new techniques for imaging humans and animals and for creating new ways to unite molecular biology and brain-imaging confocal microscopes. BIC’s world-class facilities include some of the most advanced MR, PET, and MEG imaging devices available. In addition to scanners used for human and primate studies, the BIC has high-tech scanners designed specifically for use with small animals. Image processing and other processor intensive tasks are completed using the BIC’s first-class computing system. For more information: www2.bic.mni.mcgill.ca

Procure Quebec Prostate Cancer Biobank

The Procure Quebec Prostate Cancer Biobank is a long term collaborative study between Procure Alliance, a prostate cancer not-for-profit organisation, and the four Quebec universities with teaching hospitals, Université de Montréal, McGill University, Université de Laval and Université de Sherbrooke. The goal of the project is to collect and store research-grade human tissues and associated data from men with prostate cancer and those at risk, for research purposes. The materials and data will be stored in the research institutes of the participating university hospitals, and subsequently distributed to researchers.

Respiratory Health

Offers the following cores: molecular pathology; tissue culture; animal physiology; molecular cloning and imaging facility. A tissue bank is situated at the MUHC. This Bank is composed of tissues and samples from asthmatics, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis and normal subjects.

Sheldon Biotechnology Centre

Located in the Duff Medical Building, Sheldon Biotechnology Centre (http://www.mcgill.ca/sheldon) provides Life Science researchers with core technologies to analyze biomolecules. Facility Managers provide personalized support for:

1. Surface Plasmon Resonance (real-time protein interaction analysis)
2. Peptide Synthesis & Purification (biological mimetics and antigens)
3. Protein Sequencing (Edman degradation of N-terminal amino acids)
4. Mass Spectrometry (biomarker identification and quantification)

Vivarium

The RI supports animal facilities at the MUHC and MNI. The facilities support conventional rodents, pathogen-free transgenic animals and large animals. An animal care committee reviews and approves investigators' protocols prior to the start of projects using animals.