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Located at The Ottawa Hospital, the Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre (BMC) is Canada鈥檚 most experienced facility for the production of cell and virus-based therapies for human clinical trials. With more than 20 products manufactured for trials across North America, Europe, and Asia, the BMC is a trusted partner for both academic and industry-led innovation.
Equipped with eight GMP-compliant manufacturing suites and a team of 40 experts, the BMC offers end-to-end services鈥攆rom process development to manufacturing and fill-finish鈥攖ailored to meet the highest regulatory standards.
Over nearly two decades, the BMC has produced a wide range of advanced therapeutics, including:
- Viral immunotherapies for cancer
- Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells
- CAR-T therapies (cells and lentivirus)
- Genetically engineered endothelial progenitor cells
- Adeno-associated viruses for gene therapy
- COVID-19 vaccines
In addition to manufacturing, the BMC leads Canada鈥檚 only hands-on training program in biotherapeutics manufacturing, in collaboration with Algonquin College, the University of Ottawa, and Mitacs.
This vital infrastructure is made possible through the support of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Research Fund, BioCanRx, and generous donors to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.
High throughput Screening (HTS):
The University of Ottawa, in collaboration with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the CHEO Research Institute (CHEO-RI), offers a virtual network of high throughput screening (HTS) labs. This decentralized platform provides 电车无码 researchers with access to advanced instrumentation, compound and genetic libraries, specialized services, and expert support for molecular and high throughput experimentation.
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The Ottawa Methods Centre (OMC) is the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute鈥檚 core resource for research methods expertise. In partnership with the University of Ottawa, the OMC supports investigators across all stages of health research鈥攐ffering guidance on study design, biostatistics, data management, knowledge translation, and more.
Whether you're planning a clinical trial, analyzing large datasets, or exploring qualitative methods, the OMC provides tailored consultations, workshops, and hands-on support to strengthen the scientific rigour and impact of your work.
With a multidisciplinary team of experts, the OMC helps transform research ideas into high-quality studies that improve patient care and inform health policy.
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The Office for Patient Engagement in Research Activities (OPERA) is a leading resource housed at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute that empowers researchers to meaningfully engage patients and caregivers as partners in health research.
OPERA offers tailored guidance and resources to help research teams integrate patient perspectives at every stage鈥攆rom priority setting and study design to knowledge translation. The goal: to ensure research is relevant, inclusive, and grounded in real-world experiences.
By fostering authentic partnerships between patients and researchers, OPERA strengthens the quality, impact, and ethical foundation of patient-oriented research across the University of Ottawa and its affiliated institutes.
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Located at the Civic Campus in the Loeb Building, the Ottawa Hospital Biorepository is a cutting-edge facility supporting researchers with the secure handling, storage, and management of biological samples. Since its official launch in 2012鈥攂eginning with over 86,000 samples from the Ontario Health Study鈥攖he Biorepository has become a vital resource for biomedical research across Ottawa and beyond.
With the capacity to store hundreds of thousands of biological specimens in vapour-phase liquid nitrogen, the Biorepository offers centralized services including sample receipt, storage, inventory control, packaging, and distribution. Researchers benefit from advanced infrastructure and dedicated support from trained personnel.
Facility Highlights:
- 1,200 ft虏 purpose-built space
- Seven cryogenic freezers (90,000-sample capacity each)
- Triple monitoring systems for temperature and liquid nitrogen levels
- Secure, trackable Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS: BioBank)
- Cryo Carts for safe sample handling at 鈥190掳C
- Vapour Shippers for secure national and international transport (classified non-hazardous)
Security and Safety:
The Biorepository is key-card restricted, monitored by security cameras, and connected to emergency power with 24/7 alarm monitoring. A state-of-the-art oxygen monitoring system ensures personnel safety, while trained staff remain on-call around the clock to respond to freezer alerts within one hour. As a result, the Biorepository is not self-serve; all operations are carried out by experienced Biorepository staff.
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The Clinical Investigation Unit (CIU) is a dedicated 12-bed clinical research facility located at the General Campus of The Ottawa Hospital. With decades of experience supporting trials from Phase I to Phase IV, the CIU plays a key role in advancing clinical and pharmacokinetic research, including studies on bioequivalence and drug-drug or drug-food interactions.
Designed for flexibility and comfort, the CIU offers both short- and long-term private accommodations, with 24/7 medical monitoring provided by experienced research nurses and physicians. An on-site laboratory handles sample processing, storage, and shipment, ensuring seamless integration into study protocols.
The CIU operates under Good Clinical Practices (GCP) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), with all studies adhering to ICH guidelines and the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Fully integrated with other core services at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, the CIU is equipped to support even the most complex study designs鈥攎aking it a trusted environment for clinical excellence.
