CNSP National Platform Scientist Award Winners, 2020

I obtained my B.Sc and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Laval University in 1991. I pursued a postdoctoral training at the Hospital Center of Laval University (CHUL) analyzing the post-translational modifications of proteins (1991-1993). In 1994, I became in charge of the proteomics facility which offered at that time N-terminal protein sequencing and peptide synthesis services.

Since 2000, I am the manager of the proteomics platform at the CHU de Quebec research Center in Quebec city. The platform offers protein identification, protein quantification and characterization by mass spectrometry.

My track publication record comprises 37 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts. I am also invited every year to give proteomics seminars, introduction to mass spectrometry courses and trainings to undergraduate and graduate students.

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PROTEOMICS PLATFORM, CENTRE DE RECHERCHE DU CHU QUÉBEC, QUÉBEC CITY (QC)

The proteomics platform of the CHU de Quebec/Laval University offers a wide array of services for the protein characterization of biological samples including protein extraction and sample preparation from various media to protein identification, quantification and characterization by mass spectrometry and bioinformatics analyses.

The self-financing platform, composed of 5 research professionals has been providing protein analysis services since 30 years. The platform uses the latest innovative technologies in proteomics to support the work of more than 300 researchers from Quebec, Canada and other countries (USA, France, Brazil etc).

Miki Fujita started her role as Research Manager at UBC Bioimaging Facility in 2018. She has been a long-time user of the facility as a plant cell biologist, and now is learning to manage and run a shared facility successfully.

Her contributions to the facility include increased number of research groups, increased revenue from outside UBC and industry clients, and change of facility infrastructure. She enjoys working with her team to support users from diverse research disciplines.

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BIOIMAGING FACILITY, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, VANCOUVER (BC)

The Bioimaging Facility in University of British Columbia (UBC) is a multi-user facility that provides microscopy access, training and service. The facility is equipped with 5 electron microscopes, 4 optical microscopes, cryo-fixation and sample preparation equipment. The facility has 3 technical staff who support both UBC and industry scientists on a daily basis to conduct research on biological and material samples.

Dr. Charlie Hindmarch is Associate Professor (Adjunct) of Medicine and Director of the Genomics, Transcriptomics, and Molecular Medicine laboratory within Q-CPU. Dr Hindmarch is also Scientific Operations Director for the new Translational Institute of medicine.

Dr. Hindmarch Graduated in 2001 with a B.Sc in Marine Biology in 2002 (Plym), in 2003 with an M.Sc in Biochemical Pharmacology (Soton) and in 2009 with a Ph.D in Neuroscience and Endocrinology (Bris). Following his PhD, Hindmarch held two consecutive Postdoctoral Fellowships in University of Bristol, and the role of Senior Research Associate. Dr Hindmarch has previously held visiting Professorships at the University of Malay (Malaysia) and at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).

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Dr Hindmarch has been at Queen’s University since early 2016 and currently has 43 published papers and an h-index of 17. Translational Institute of Medicine Dr Hindmarch is Scientific Operations Director for the Translational Institute of Medicine (TIME) and is currently responsible for establishing a strategic plan for the new Institute that will help drive translational research within the Department of Medicine forward with a focus on research.

Dr Hindmarch has previously been responsible for the implementation of the TIME Network (https://uniweb.time.queensu.ca/) that captures the breadth of translational research at Queen’s with a focus upon the mapping of infrastructure and expertise. Queen’s CardioPulmonary Unit Dr Hindmarch is Director of the Genomics, Transcriptomics and Molecular Medicine laboratory where he is responsible for Queen’s core facility that offers Next Generation Sequencing and bioinformatic strategies to the Queen’s community as part of a cost recovery model.

Dr Hindmarch also runs the Cytometric Time of Flight (CYTOF) which is a high throughput proteomic tool that can resolve up to 50 antibodies in both cell suspension and in tissue (using laser ablation)

QUEEN'S CARDIOPULMONARY UNIT, QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY, KINGSTON (ON)

The Queen’s CardioPulmonary Unit (QCPU) is an $8 million dollar, 8000 square foot research facility that is focused on a Bench-to-Bedside philosophy with emphasis on heart, lung, blood and vascular diseases.

QCPU was funded by a Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) grant and opened in 2017 with Dr. Stephen Archer as the founding scientific director QCPU is comprised of a state-of-the-art basic science research facility that is complemented by an onsite Kingston Health Sciences Center (KHSC) satellite Echocardiography clinic with clinical trials research capacity. Built on existing institutional investments by Queen’s University, QCPU enhances existing links between clinical and basic investigators at Queen’s and fosters new collaborations between researchers in other faculties and at other universities.

QCPU is funded by the Department of Medicine, the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) and through cost recovery for services provided. QCPU’s mission includes growing the extramurally funded research enterprise for the Department of Medicine and FHS at Queen’s University. State-of-the-art equipment is now available to faculty within and outside of FHS on a cost-recovery basis. SuperUsers plans are available for purchase (or costed into new grants); these are defined as users who purchase service in blocks of 208 (SuperUser A plan) or 104 (SuperUser B plan) hours/year. We serve 24 research groups across 10 departments, 3 faculties and 3 universities.

QCPU scientists have assisted or mentored over 60 trainees, including research staff, medical students, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students and undergrads. QCPU has contributed to 18 publications in the past year. Key infrastructure includes: MILabs Tri-modality micro-CT/SPECT/PET nuclear imaging platform, Illumina NextSeq550 Sequencing for next-generation sequencing services, Sony SH800 flow cytometer and sorter, Leica SP8 confocal and super-resolution microscope upgraded with 2-photon laser, MultiPep RSi peptide array technology, Fluidigm Helios/Hyperion mass cytometer, XCelligence cell culturing system.

Andreas Korinek has a background in transmission electron microscopy of biological materials as well as analytical transmission electron microscopy down to the atomic scale. He has been working as a staff scientist at the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy (CCEM) at McMaster University since 2010.

Since 2017 he has managed the CCEM and led a team of 10 full time staff. He is the founder of Ivy Scientific and has developed a laboratory information management system called NanoLIMS which has been deployed to several core facilities at McMaster University and other commercial laboratories. One of his main interests is the development of good practices and leadership principles for core facilities.

He has attended numerous workshops and courses. Since May 2020, Andreas has been appointed the Acting Executive Director of the CCEM, in this role he is developing a framework for governance and strategic planning for core facilities.

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CANADIAN CENTRE FOR ELECTRON MICROSCOPY, MCMASTER UNIVERSITY, HAMILTON (ON)

The Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy (CCEM) is one of Canada’s MSI platforms and a one-stop solution to materials characterization problems. Our experienced and dedicated staff are here to help determine structural and compositional information of material through their advanced knowledge in electron microscopy.

Not only does the CCEM offer a suite of electron microscopes and sample preparation space that can be used for characterization needs, but our staff members are fully equipped and available to train users, acquire various data, prepare characterization reports, and consult on user’s specific questions.

As a user’s facility we offer training services on our instruments, or if preferred, we can perform full sample characterization starting from sample preparation to final results. To facilitate our user’s learning experience and networking, we also host various tutorials and workshops throughout the year.

Our vision is to be one of the leading electron microscopy facilities in the world for the quality of the scientific research and for promoting interactions amongst researchers in various fields nationally and internationally.

Christine Zhang is the manager of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. She received her Honours Bachelor of Science with high distinction in 2005 from the Department of Immunology at the University of Toronto.

She then continued her graduate study at this department, receiving her PhD in 2011. After joining the University of Manitoba in 2012, Christine has been heavily involved in the initial establishment of University of Manitoba Flow Cytometry Core Facility.

She oversees all the daily operation as well as the financial budgeting of the core facility to ensure the self sustainability and optimal performance of the core. As a flow core manager, Christine has also started flow cytometry-based immunophenotyping services for clinical research groups interested in getting more details on the immunological profile in their patient samples.

Christine initiated and executed three successful University of Manitoba Flow Cytometry Symposium since 2013, the first and only symposium dedicated to flow cytometry in Manitoba. The symposiums attracts speakers across the nation and over 130 local attendees from a wide range of disciplines in biomedical research, clinical laboratories, biotechnological companies and government laboratory.

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FLOW CYTOMETRY CORE FACILITY, UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA, WINNIPEG (MB)

Located at the heart of the Bannatyne campus, the University of Manitoba Flow Cytometry Core Facility is a multi-user facility that provides a wide range of flow cytometry-based services. Our four state-of-the-art multi-laser multi-application flow cytometry analyzers give researchers the capability to design and perform multicolor assays that best suits their needs with high efficiency and high-quality.

Our BD FACSAriaIII cell sorter can accommodate isolation of most cell types and offers the flexibility of using different collection vessels including falcon tubes, multiwell plates or microscope slides. Our Zeiss spinning disc confocal microscope provides researchers an additional way other than flow cytometry to study cells of their interests. We offer comprehensive multi-stage training program that allows users to quickly master flow cytometry technique independently. We also provide a range of manager-directed services such as sample preparation and acquisition, data analysis as wells as immunophenotyping services for clinical study.

The flow core currently holds a Flowjo site licence available for the core users to support their data analysis needs. To promote knowledge expansion of flow cytometry and its better practice in research, the University of Manitoba Flow Cytometry Core Facility hosts flow cytometry topic-specific workshops regularly and larger scale one day flow cytometry symposiums every two or three years.

To learn more, please visit https://sites.google.com/site/umanitobaflow/