Kumarasen Cooper, MBChB, DPhil, FRC Path (Director)
Mark Evans, PhD

The main purpose of the Experimental Pathology Research Laboratory is to initiate and develop translational research projects that involve members of the pathology department as key investigators.

The lab personnel will advise and assist the clinical pathologists with specific translational research projects with the goal of producing results that can be published and/or be used to obtain external funding. Laboratory expertise that is available for collaborative projects includes: obtaining tissue (frozen tissue bank, paraffin blocks), cutting and staining sections, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, laser capture microdissection, and DNA and RNA analysis (PCR, FISH). Confocal microscopy, laser scanning cytometry and electron microscopy is also available through the Microscopy Imaging Center.

Interaction between the basic science researchers and the clinical pathologists in the department of Pathology will be encouraged in order to develop high quality projects that address fundamental questions of disease development and treatment. Projects initiated by basic scientists will have a pathologist involved as a co-investigator.

A scientific review panel is being set up to review the projects that are submitted to the laboratory for their scientific merit and feasibility. The panel will consist of the Head of Pathology, the Head of Experimental Pathology, the Director of the Microscopy Imaging Center, and the Director of the Experimental Pathology Laboratory, plus one or two outside reviewers with expertise in the area of the project being assessed.

The projects that involve collaborations with other departments will have one or more staff pathologists involved as co-investigator(s) and these departments may be required to contribute to the financial support of the project as determined by the review panel.

The experimental pathology laboratory will become a place where pathology fellows can pursue a research rotation under the direction of one or more Pathology faculty members.

It is the expectation that pilot projects initially funded from internal sources will form the basis for larger externally funded projects that will in turn develop the research focus of the laboratory.