General Info
Service/Purpose
The UTSC Harmful Algae Analytical Unit generates baseline and time-sensitive data to understand the drivers influencing phytoplankton dynamics (community composition, ecology, and physiology), with an emphasis on examining harmful algal blooms. In addition, it provides open-access data obtained from a combination of field and laboratory-based techniques to investigate aquatic microbial communities and contains modern analytical equipment for algal culturing, algal class analyses (e.g., PhycoLabAnalyser, fluoroprobe and PHYTO-PAM), phytoplankton identification and enumeration (e.g., high-resolution microscopy, FlowCam), and toxin analyses.
Location
University of Toronto
Facility Lead
Irena Creed
Primary Contacts
| Name | Role | Contact Information |
|---|---|---|
| Irena Creed | Facility Lead | E-mail: irena.creed@utoronto.ca Phone: (416) 208-4835 |
| Kevin Erratt | Primary Contact | Email: k.erratt@utoronto.ca Phone: (548) 788-9007 |
Fee for Service
Lab Equipment & Services
Deployable Systems
| Ref | Item | Equipment Purpose | Unit | Internal Rate * | External Rate ** | Commercial Rate *** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTHAAL-ML-1 | Flow Cytometry: CytoFLEX Flow Cytometer (Beckman Coulter) | Cell analysis system used for the qualitative and quantitative measurement of biological and physical properties of cells and other particles. Application flexibility, including an optional 96-well Plate Loader, 13 bandpass filters, and two lasers (Blue and Red). | per hour | $100 | $115 | $140 |
| UTHAAL-ML-2 | Flow Cytometry: PhytoCyt flow cytometer (Turner Designs) Portable | Cell analysis system used for many applications (e.g., cell counting, viability assays, physiological characterization, etc.). The optical filters and lasers have been optimized to detect the endogenous fluorophores common to phytoplankton, including phycoerythrin, chlorophyll and phycocyanins. One of the detectors has been optimized for green fluorescence detection, which allows labelling with exogenous reagents. | per day | $200 | $230 | $280 |
| UTHAAL-ML-3 | "" | "" | per week | $1,200 | $1,380 | $1,680 |
| UTHAAL-ML-4 | Microscopy: IX73 Inverted LED Fluorescence Microscope (Olympus) | Fluorescence microscopy is a major tool used to monitor cell physiology and aid in cell identification. The system has imaging capabilities for standard imaging tasks. | per hour | $50 | $58 | $70 |
| UTHAAL-ML-5 | Microscopy: BX 42Fl Light Microscopy (Olympus) | Suitable for various applications and has imaging capabilities for standard imaging tasks. | per hour | $30 | $35 | $42 |
| UTHAAL-ML-6 | Microscopy: ECLIPSE Ts2 Inverted Microscopes (Nikon) | Suitable for various applications and has imaging capabilities for standard imaging tasks. | per hour | $30 | $35 | $42 |
| UTHAAL-ML-7 | Spectrophotometry: Multiskan™ FC Microplate Photometer (Thermo Scientific) (340–850 nm) | Provides fast and accurate measurements for 96-well plates. The wavelength range of 340– 850 nm and is used for a wide variety of applications such as ELISA immunoassays, protein quantification, endotoxin, cytotoxicity and proliferation assays, enzyme assays and growth curves. | per hour | $50 | $58 | $70 |
| UTHAAL-ML-8 | Spectrophotometry: Cary 300 UV-Visible Spectrophotometer | The wavelength range of 190–900 nm and is used for a wide variety of applications (wavelength accuracy ± 0.2 nm). | per hour | $50 | $58 | $70 |
| UTHAAL-ML-9 | Fluorescence Spectrophotometer: Cary Eclipse is a Fluorescence Spectrophotometer | Flexible fluorescence spectrometer with multiple data collection modes, including fluorescence, phosphorescence, chemiluminescence, bioluminescence, and time-resolved phosphorescence. Operational emission: 200 - 900 nm Operational excitation: 200 - 900 nm | per hour | $50 | $58 | $70 |
| UTHAAL-ML-10 | Algal Culturing: Innova® S44i - Stackable Incubator Shaker (Three units available) | Temperature-controlled (refrigerated) shaker allowing the use of high-volume flasks. Photosynthetic LED light bank provides the ability to evenly light the entire platform across a wide intensity range. | per week (per unit) | $500 | $575 | $700 |
| UTHAAL-ML-11 | "" | "" | per month (per unit) | $1,500 | $1,725 | $2,100 |
| UTHAAL-ML-12 | Algal Culturing: Panasonic growth incubators (Two units available) | Temperature-controlled (refrigerated) unit allowing the use of high-volume flasks. Ability to control light intensity and light cycles. | per week (per unit) | $500 | $575 | $700 |
| UTHAAL-ML-13 | "" | "" | per month (per unit) | $1,500 | $1,725 | $2,100 |
| UTHAAL-ML-14 | Algal Culturing: Milli-Q® Benchtop Lab Water Purification Systems | Water purification system providing ultrapure water for laboratory needs (e.g., buffers and bacterial media preparation). | **Complimentary service when using laboratory facilities** | **Complimentary service when using laboratory facilities** | **Complimentary service when using laboratory facilities** | |
| UTHAAL-ML-15 | Algal Culturing: Multi-Cultivator MC 1000-OD | Small-scale cultivation device developed for the cultivation of multiple samples. The instrument is primarily intended for the synchronous growth of algae, bacteria or cyanobacteria under defined conditions with a wide range of applications (i.e. toxicological and eco-toxicological testing, optimization of cultivation conditions, phenotypization of various strains). | per week | $200 | $230 | $280 |
| UTHAAL-ML-16 | "" | "" | per month | $600 | $690 | $840 |
| UTHAAL-ML-17 | Algal Culturing: Purifier Logic+ Class II, Type A2 Biosafety Cabinets | Workstation provides personnel, product, and environmental protection from hazardous particulates such as agents that require Biosafety Level 1 or 2. | **Complimentary service when using laboratory facilities** | **Complimentary service when using laboratory facilities** | **Complimentary service when using laboratory facilities** |
