Rapid synthesis, screening, analysis and identification of engineered materials responding to, or compatible with, biological systems.
The Biointerfaces Institute is a state-of-the-art facility implementing high-throughput research workflows to investigate the nature of the biological/material interface. The institute has expertise in high-throughput synthesis and screening, surface characterization, polymer chemistry, bioassay development, ophthalmic biomaterials, development of advanced sol-gel–based biomaterials and biosensor technologies. Its members span several disciplines, including chemistry, chemical biology, biochemistry, chemical engineering and biomedical engineering.
Assay development/scale-up and formatting, point-of-care diagnostics and biosensors, biomedical materials development and screening, cataloguing and modelling of fundamental properties of biointerfaces, particle design/synthesis and characterization
- Agriculture, animal science and food
- Automotive
- Chemical industries
- Education
- Environmental technologies and related services
- Forestry and forest-based industries
- Healthcare and social services
- Information and communication technologies and media
- Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
- Manufacturing and processing
- Mining, minerals and metals
Specialized labs and equipment
| Specialized lab | Equipment | Function |
|---|---|---|
Biological Preparation Suite
|
| Used for high-throughput production of bacterial and mammalian cells, proteins and DNA and for selection of DNA and RNA aptamers |
High-Throughput Synthesis and Screening Suite
|
| Used for high-throughput synthesis and screening of biomaterial and biointerface libraries; can produce libraries in microwell plate, microarray and nanoparticle formats |
Bioselectivity Suite
|
| Used to probe the interactions between biological entities and synthetic materials or surfaces; the information gathered provides atomic-level detail into the nature of such interactions |
Surface Characterization Suite
|
| Used to examine nanoparticle properties (i.e. size, shape, charge) and properties of planar surfaces (i.e. chemical properties, polarity, charge, porosity, roughness, mechanical properties); many of the instruments can image microarrays to vastly increase throughput |
Informatics and Database Suite
|
| The BioELN provides control over all aspects of the workflow, including inventory, lab notebooks, instrument booking and charges, scheduling, etc. |
Private and public sector research partners
- Pro-Lab Diagnostics
- Bruker Canada
- Physical Electronics Inc.
- Tecan
- Scienion