Facilities
An introductory short list of our members’ facilities, centers and programs associated with specific research areas is given below. Please see Members section for complete listings
Microscopy and Cytometry
Advanced Microscopy Facility (Ryerson University). The facility includes a two-photon confocal laser scanning microscope, a Raman confocal microscope, and an atomic force microscope, Scanning Electon Microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and coating facility, an inverted laser-confocal microscope suitable for live-cell imaging and an epiflurescence microscope.
Advanced Optical Microscopy Unit (University Health Network). The facility provides researchers with the latest in optical microscope technology for the observation of tissues and live cells.
BioPhotonics (University Health Network). Comprising some 2,500 sq.ft. of laboratories, built in 1995, the Biophotonics Facility offers a range of equipment and trained scientific/technical staff. R&D with outside users may be of various forms: joint collaborative projects, long- or short-term contract research or fee-for-service.
Centre for Cytometry and Scanning Microscopy (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre). FACSDiVa and FACSARIA digital cell sorters. Automacs magnetic bead cell separation system for use in cell depletion assays or positive cell selection or enrichment assays. Cell analysis handled by three FACSCALIBUR two-laser bench top analyzers for research or biological applications including immunophenotyping, gfp assays, cell cycle kinetics, S-phase quantification, and proliferation assays. Scanning microscope imaging with Zeiss confocal microscope, Olympus PixCell II fluorescence or incandescent laser capture microscope.
The Flow Cytometry Facility (FCF) (Hospital for Sick Children). The FCF provides two kinds of service: analytical flow cytometry and cell sorting. Prior to either of these operations, users label cells in their own laboratories with one of more fluorescent dyes that serve as probes of cellular pH, DNA and RNA content, cell viability, or intracellular calcium content, to name a few. In addition, antibodies specific for particular cell surface or intracellular proteins can be linked to fluorescent dyes, allowing these antibodies to be used to identify and quantify cells of particular lineages or activation states.
Ryerson University Analytical Centre (Ryerson University). The Ryerson University Analytical Centre (RUAC) is a state-of-the-art suite of scientific instruments offering a wide range of capabilities for (bio)chemical analyses. These include HPLC, GC, GC/MS, GC/Headspace, FTIR, UV-VIS, Luminescence Spectroscopy, and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy as well as Clean Room Facilities. The RUAC is housed in a newly renovated laboratory on the Ryerson campus.
TGRI Light Microscopy Unit (University Health Network). The unit is equipped with a Marianas multiple-function fluorescence microscope, Olympus FluoView 1000 confocal microscope and the CARV spinning disk confocal.