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null Centre for Translational Biology (CTB) Fall 2015 updates

Renovations completed at the Montreal General Hospital research site

Renovations help unite researchers in the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program

The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI‑MUHC) has completed renovations to research space on the 11th floor of Livingston Hall at the Montreal General Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre (MGH‑MUHC) site. The new research space helps unite vision researchers from the McGill Vision Research Centre originally located at the Royal Victoria Hospital of the MUHC (RVH‑MUHC) with researchers from the Centre for Research in Neuroscience at the MGH‑MUHC. Together, they and other neuroscientists, clinicians and evaluative researchers form the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program (BRaIN) led by Dr. Keith Murai and associate leader, Dr. Kathy Mullen. The renovations have created laboratory space for research involving visual system processing and physiology of brain circuits and provide a new location for the BRaIN Program Office. A new manager, Dr. Marie St-Laurent, will join program assistant Yvonne Gardner in administering the program in December. 

Renovations completed in the Jo Miller Orthopaedic Research Laboratory 

Major construction has been completed in the Jo Miller Orthopaedic Research Laboratory on LS1 at the MGH‑MUHC site. This work was funded by the RI‑MUHC, the McGill University Division of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Orthopaedic Research Laboratory at the Royal Victoria Hospital of the MUHC. The newly renovated lab is dedicated to basic and applied orthopaedic research for the benefit of researchers and clinicians in the fields of biomechanics, bioengineering and biochemistry. "This core research facility strengthens the RI-MUHC's international reputation and commitment to excellence in research," noted Lorne Beckman, Technical Director of the laboratory.

Housing freezers off-site for researchers at the Glen

Renovations to level RS1 at the MGH‑MUHC research site were completed this summer to house ultra-low (‑ 80°) freezers for researchers at the Glen and backup freezers for emergency purposes. The conversion of eight laboratories into four large storage areas now accommodates up to 50 freezers. Floors were covered with epoxy to prevent water infiltration and air conditioning units working on chilled water were installed to safeguard the equipment from heat dissipation.
 

 

 

Technology platform events 
 
Launches, open houses and special seminar series introduced the new technology platforms at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI ‑MUHC) this fall.  Each event served as an opportunity for researchers from the RI-MUHC and neighbouring scientific communities to meet and share ideas. We asked the organizers to report below. Please check our Technology Platforms web page for upcoming activities.

"Strengthening your core (facilities): Introduction to the new Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre Technology Platforms" seminars: September 11 to October 13

Held at the Glen, Montreal General Hospital of the MUHC (MGH-MUHC) and Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) research sites between September 11 and October 13, this special series of seminars attracted from 75 to 200 attendees at each location. Technology platform managers provided an overview of each platform's personnel, infrastructure and services and met one-on-one with many of the researchers over refreshments afterward. Each seminar was well received, with many attendees excited about the potential for advancing their own research through these state-of-the-art facilities.
 

 

 

Open House of the Molecular Imaging Platform and Advanced Imaging Workshop: November 11 

The RI-MUHC hosted a full-day Molecular Imaging Platform Open House and Advanced Imaging Workshop organized in collaboration with Carl Zeiss Canada Ltd. The event introduced a variety of state-of-the-art microscopy and imaging techniques and their applications in biomedical research. Experts in the field lectured on confocal, super-resolution and multiphoton microscopy as well as on live cell imaging techniques and their applications. The workshop included on-site practical demonstrations of advanced microscopy imaging techniques.
Read the Zeiss news blog
 

 

 

SAIL Platform Grand Opening: November 18

The Small Animal Imaging Labs (SAIL) Platform hosted its Grand Opening Symposium on November 13. Six internationally recognized speakers discussed various imaging modalities, from PET radiochemistry to MR spectroscopy, attracting over 150 attendees from several research institutes. The SAIL team looks forward to starting projects with interested researchers. Please visit our iLab page at https://rimuhc.corefacilities.org/service_center/show_external/3714/sail_platform 
or contact us at sail.rimuhc@mcgill.ca to discuss your research ideas.
 

 

 

International Drug Discovery and Development Forum 2015: November 2-6

This fall the traditional McGill-CIHR Drug Development Training Program (DDTP) Annual Retreat expanded into the first annual International Drug Discovery and Development Forum. With the theme of "Inspiring Drug Discovery Successes," this forum marked the inaugural year of the RI‑MUHC's state-of-the-art Drug Discovery Platform at the Glen site. It provided a week-long interface of activities for more than 170 attendees from the pharmaceutical industry and academia. This unique event attracted research trainees, academic mentors and pharmaceutical scientists from Canada, the US, Denmark and the UK, as well as commercial exhibitors from the US and Canada.
[See more]

 

 

Immunophenotyping Platform Open House Activities: November 20 to December 1

Open House activities allowed the research community to visit new facilities at the Immunophenotyping Platform, meet staff and chat with fellow users and representatives from BD. The platform hosted two well-attended orientation lectures in November, the first providing an introduction to flow cytometry and the second examining the design of multicolour panel strategies. On December 1 the platform hosted a pizza lunch for everyone interested in finding out more about its services and the latest technologies in the field. More than 50 participants enjoyed a quick bite and opportunity to tour the platform.

 

--Newsletter Fall 2015