Facilities and services

The Imperial College Biological Imaging Centre (BIC) is a Department of Medicine facility at Hammersmith Hospital Campus.  The Centre houses PET/CT, MRI and optical imaging (FMT and IVIS), supporting the scientific community to conduct cutting edge translational research in in vivodisease models.

Location: Hammersmith Hospital Campus 
Contact: icbic@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: Biological Imaging Centre

The Centre for Immunology and Vaccinology (CIV) CL3 Cell Sorting Facility is located on the 2nd floor, in the Containment Level 3 (CL3) laboratory (room G.2.37/39/40) at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Campus of Imperial College London. We are the only Imperial facility providing containment level 3 live cell sorting services to researchers from the College and other institutions.

The facility holds a state-of-the-art FACS Aria-III cell sorter that is located within a purpose-built robotic class II recirculating micro-biological safety cabinet (MSC). The setup of the CIV cell sorting facility provides a great opportunity for researchers to sort live cells infected with Hazard Group 3 pathogens with high purity for further study, including genetic/genomic analysis, proteomics or subsequent in vitro cell culture and cell function analysis.

The CIV CL3 laboratory is currently approved for conducting research on Human immunodeficiency viruses type 1 and 2, (HIV-1, HIV-2), Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1, HTLV-2) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV). We are happy to provide help and advice on biosafety, sample preparation, experimental, and multi-colour antibody panel design.

Location: Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Contact: Parisa Amjadi, Facility Manager - parisa.amjadi@imperial.ac.uk
Website: www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/civ-cell-sorting-facility

The CISBIO Mass Spectrometry Core Facility provides Imperial College researchers access to MS instrumentation for proteomics/glycomics, as well as analysis and advice on the application of mass spectrometry for solving biopolymer structural problems.

Location: South Kensington (Biochemistry Building)
Contact: Dr Paul Hitchen - p.hitchen@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: www.imperial.ac.uk/biomassspectrometry

The Imperial College Clinical Imaging Facility (CIF) provides support for interdisciplinary research activities across Imperial college, integrating the physical, biological and medical sciences.

We provide the capability to investigate a wide range of clinical conditions using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial brain stimulation. We have particular expertise in neuroscience and oncology, as well as multimodal imaging. We are part of the Department of Medicine at Imperial and are located at the Hammersmith Hospital, benefiting from the Hospital’s long tradition of world-class imaging research.

We currently support a broad range of applied research studies and have strong links to academics and clinicians as well as commercial organisations. We welcome research proposals from all academic researchers and industry.

Location: Hammersmith Hospital Campus 
Contact: Dr Albert Busza - a.busza@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/research-and-impact/facilities/translational-research-imaging/clinical-imaging-facility

The CPC provides infrastructure and services to support translational research, employing a metabonomic approach to derive novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker models. It brings together state-of-the-art technologies to analyse the chemical makeup of tissue samples, surgical(diathermy) gases or biofluids, including blood and urine, taken at different stages of specific patient journeys.

Location: South Kensington and St Mary's Hospital Campus
Contact: Maria Romero Gomez - m.gomez-romero@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: Clinical Phenotyping Centre

The Electron Microscopy Centre comprises a state-of-the-art EM infrastructure for molecular (single particle) and cellular microscopy under room and low temperature conditions:

• FEI Tecnai 12 (LaB6 electron source); CCD camera
• Philips CM200 (FEG electron source); CCD camera
• Philips CM300 (FEG electron source); Helium cooled-Polara Stage; CCD camera

Moreover, it has a Vitrobot to vitrify samples and several cryo transfer holders (Gatan) with and without high tilt capabilities. A High Pressure Freezing apparatus (EMPACT 2, Leica) and Ultramicrotomes (for ambient and low temperatures) are also available for the optimal preservation of cellular ultra structure and their serial sectioning.

Besides two sample preparation laboratories, the centre includes also a dark room for development of micrographs, scanning facilities to digitise images and a large parallel computer farm.

Location: South Kensington (Biochemistry Building)
Contact: Dr Raffa Carzaniga - r.carzaniga@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: www.imperial.ac.uk/electronmicroscopy

FILM, the Facility for Imaging by Light Microscopy, provides access to the newest equipment in light microscopy. Suited for absolute beginners to hardcore microscopists alike, it provides equipment and all training and assistance required for the whole range of light microscopy, from basic observations with transmitted light to multiphoton fluorescence in vivo microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging.

It also keeps moving with the latest developments in microscopy and implements them to make them easily accessible for life scientists. In addition to microscopy equipment, it also provides access to software and expertise in image data analysis, general microscopy education, knowledge exchange and networking.

Location: South Kensington (Sir Alexander Fleming Building)
Contact: Dr Andreas Bruckbauer, Facility Manager - a.bruckbauer@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/facility-for-imaging-by-light-microscopy

The chemical analysis of often complex samples, such as blood, wastewater, or industrial process streams is an essential element in disease diagnosis, environmental protection and process efficiency respectively.

Agilent is a world leader in the design and manufacture of sophisticated and sensitive analytical equipment and the Agilent Measurement Suite (AMS) brings together their capabilities with the Department of Chemistry's expertise in analytical and measurement science to tackle a range of challenges in human, plant, animal and environmental health. Housing state of the art equipment the AMS will provide unrivalled capabilities for researchers at Imperial and beyond to apply the latest measurement technologies to their research.

Location: South Kensington and White City Campuses
Contact: agilent-msrh@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: Agilent Measurement Suite

The Genomics Laboratory provides state of the art facilities for high-throughput genomic research:

• high throughout DNA sequencing (Illumina GAIIx and HiSeq2000)
• microarray
• conventional DNA sequencing (ABI 3730xl), genotyping and real time PCR
• bioinformatics support

Location: Hammersmith (Commonwealth Building)
Contact: Dr Laurence Game - laurence.game@csc.mrc.ac.uk or Dr Mick Jones - mick.jones@csc.mrc.ac.uk
Webpage: http://genomics.csc.mrc.ac.uk/

Oligosaccharide chains of glycoproteins, glycolipids, proteoglycans, and polysaccharides and in secretions play important roles in the body in health. Moreover, directly or indirectly, oligosaccharides are involved in every major disease such as processes of infection with viruses, bacteria and parasites and the spread of cancer cells, all this through carbohydrate-protein interactions.

The Glycosciences Laboratory incorporates the Wellcome Trust-supported Carbohydrate Microarray Facility - a biomedical resource for the broad scientific community. We provide microarray screening analyses and follow-on collaborations on diverse carbohydrate recognition systems.

Location: Hammersmith Campus (Burlington Danes Building)
Contact: Professor Ten Feizi - t.feizi@imperial.ac.uk or Dr Yan Liu - yan.liu2@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: www.imperial.ac.uk/glycosciences

The Imperial College Healthcare Tissue Bank (ICHTB) infrastructure enables Imperial researchers to collect, store and use human tissue appropriately under a single Human Tissue Authority (HTA) licence and Ethics approval. We provide Research Ethics Committee approved consent forms and access to a tracking database which ensures HTA compliance.

Location: Charing Cross Hospital Campus
Contact: Ms Sandrine Rendel - s.rendel@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: Imperial College Healthcare Tissue Bank

The Human Anatomy Unit (HAU) is a teaching facility which provides anatomy and pathology resources for students and practitioners of medicine and allied healthcare professions. The Unit comprises a dissection room, a dedicated anatomy skills laboratory and a pathology museum.  These facilities enable the study  of human anatomy and pathology in a conducive environment, using the latest technologies. 

Location: Charing Cross Hospital Campus 
Contact: Ms Rachael Waddington - r.waddington@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: Human Anatomy Unit

The IIPTC offers hands-on laboratory based training for metabolic profiling, delivered in a state-of-the-art facility. The IIPTC exploits the extensive expertise of the College as a world-class academic institute, harbouring internationally recognised leaders in metabolic profiling. 

Location: South Kensington (Sir Alexander Fleming Building)
Contact: iptc@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: Imperial International Phenome Training Centre

The IVIS® SpectumCT preclinical in vivo imaging system expands upon the versatility of the IVIS Spectrum by offering 2D and 3D imaging capabilities but includes integrated low-dose microCT ideal for longitudinal studies. The system provides researchers with greater insights into complex biological systems by enabling simultaneous molecular and anatomical non-invasive imaging in animal models.

Key features:

• Integrated optical and microCT technology
• 3D optical tomography for fluorescence and bioluminescence
• The industry’s most sensitive detection technology ideal for:
• Bioluminescence
• Multispectral fluorescence and spectral unmixing
• Cerenkov imaging for optical radiotracer imaging
• Low dose and ultra-fast microCT
• DyCE™ dynamic enhanced imaging for real-time distribution studies of both fluorochromes or PET tracers ideal for PK/PD app

Location: South Kensington Campus
Contact: Nicola Tingley - cmbi@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/mrc-centre-for-molecular-bacteriology-and-infection/facilities/in-vivo-imaging-ivi-facility/

The LMS/NIHR Flow Cytometry Facility at Imperial aims to facilitate biomedical research by providing a specialist service in flow cytometric analysis and cell sorting. We are supported by the Medical Research Council (MRC) at the London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).

We provide one-to-one consultations, training, support and access to instrumentation for all researchers at the Hammersmith Campus. Please contact us to discuss your research needs and see how we can help.

Location: Hammersmith Campus
Contact: James Elliott (james.elliott@lms.mrc.ac.uk) or Bhavik Patel (bhavik.patel@imperial.ac.uk)
Webpage: LMS NIHR Flow Cytometry Facility

The London In Vitro Diagnostic Cooperative is part of the national NIHR infrastructure designed to generate evidence to support academic and industry diagnostic and MedTech developers, embedded within Imperial’s Department of Surgery and Cancer.

The London IVD Cooperative applies a human factors led, multidisciplinary approach to generating multi-dimensional evidence including; health economics, human factors, clinical pathway analysis and barriers to adoption, with patient and public involvement at its core. London IVD draws on the expertise of Imperial’s leading clinicians to assess clinical need and utility of tests in specific healthcare settings. Integrated into the national eco-system of diagnostics innovation infrastructure, the group uses its wide network across the country to translate innovation into patient benefits.

The London IVD Cooperative welcome opportunities to collaborate with researchers as part of a current grant or will work with you to secure research funding for a new project.

Location: QEQM Building, St Mary's Hospital Campus
Contact: Ms Naoko Jones, London IVD Programme Manager (n.jones@imperial.ac.uk)
Webpage: https://london.ivd.nihr.ac.uk/

MRI scanners (2x 3T and 1.5T Philips Achieva systems) and associated infrastructure for in vivo imaging and spectroscopy of human subjects.

Location: Hammersmith (Neptune Building)
Contact: Dr Declan O'Regan - declan.oregan@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: Imaging Sciences

The Margaret Turner Warwick (MTW) Education Centre provides a great venue for the National Heart and Lung Institute's teaching and research meetings.

Location: Guy Scadding Building, Royal Brompton Hospital Campus
Contact: nhli.edcentre@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/mtw-education-centre

The Molecular Diagnostics Unit (MDU) is a spin-off from a department carrying out research on retroviruses and other infectious diseases, offering a specialist diagnostic service to NHS clinics. Testing services include tests for drug resistance in HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV), genotyping of hepatitis C virus (HCV), detection and quantification of human T-cell leukaemia virus (HTLV) and detection of organisms associated with non-specific urethritis, such as Mycoplasma genitalium. MDU is accredited to undertake diagnostic testing by Clinical Pathology Accreditation Ltd. (CPA).

We are happy to undertake work in support of research projects that require molecular methods involving infectious organisms. Specifically, we offer gene sequencing and PCR detection methods and we will undertake the development of methods for organisms which are not currently in our repertoire.

Location: St Mary's Campus (School of Medicine Building)
Contact: Dr Steve Kaye - steve.kaye@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/molecular-diagnostic-unit

The National Phenome Centre's aim is to deliver broad access to a world-class capability in metabolic phenotyping, that will benefit the UK translational medicine community.

The MRC-NIHR National Phenome Centre is open to the whole UK research community (academic and industry) and offers a wide range of services from broad profiling untargeted assays to targeted assays. These services are offered on a collaborative project basis or as a fee-for-service offering.

The Centre is funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)  and led by Imperial College London and King's College London.

Location: Hammersmith Hospital Campus
Contact: Lynn Maslen, Centre Manager - l.maslen@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: https://phenomecentre.org/

The Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Tissue Bank is a national collection of central nervous system (CNS) tissue samples donated by individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease and related neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative conditions.

The vision of the Tissue Bank is one that it shares with its funding charities, the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Parkinson’s UK - that we can live in a world where the cause of these debilitating neurological conditions has been discovered, and an intervention identified that stops them from developing in susceptible individuals or stops further progression of the condition.

The Tissue Bank’s mission is to facilitate these discoveries by making well-characterised human material of the highest quality readily available to the research community engaged in studies aimed at discovering the cause and better treatments for multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Furthermore we aim to encourage the greater use of the material in these studies. It is by carrying out this work that the Tissue Bank fulfils the last, generous and selfless wishes of all those who have registered on the donor scheme and bequeathed their CNS tissues to research.

The work of the Tissue Bank is supported by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Parkinson’s UK in partnership with Imperial College London.

Location: Hammersmith Hospital Campus
Contact: brainbank@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/multiple-sclerosis-and-parkinsons-tissue-bank

The Imperial BRC Genomics Facility is one of the core activities of the Genetics and Genomics Research Theme of the NIHR Imperial BRC and forms part of the Epigenomics and Disease Section of the Department of Medicine. It provides infrastructure and services to support translational research that harnesses genome information to advance disease diagnostics, prognosis and treatment.

It provides integrated support for translational sequencing projects from experimental design, to library preparation, sequencing, data generation and analysis. Its team of experienced laboratory scientists and bioinformaticians bring together multidisciplinary expertise to offer clinicians and scientists access to state-of-the-art genome sequencing technologies, high-performance computing resources and cutting-edge bioinformatics analysis of genomic data.

Location: Hammersmith Hospital Campus (Burlington Danes Building)
Contact: igf@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/research-and-impact/facilities/genomics-facility

The Imperial BRC Organoid Facility serves as a multi-disciplinary research and training hub to decrease the barrier to access stem cell and organoid related methods. The Facility supports organoid work (iPSC or adult biopsy-derived culture) by operating as a main laboratory for general culture and future biobanking, providing know-how and related training, as well as developing complex disease models with multi-omics readouts. 

Location: 10th Floor, Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Hospital Campus 
Contact: orgfac@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: NIHR Imperial BRC Organoid Facility

We are equipped with Bruker Avance III 600 MHz and Bruker Avance II 800 MHz spectrometers and are particularly geared towards high-resolution NMR spectroscopy in the solution state, with notable expertise in biomolecular NMR.

Location: South Kensington (RCS1 Building)
Contact: Dr Pete Simpson - p.simpson@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: www.imperial.ac.uk/nmrcentre

Real Time is now a routine technique used in the lab for relative quantitation of gene expression, transgene copy number, and SNPs. The facility provide a good value access to our shared equipment together with expertise to get you started. Dr Laurence Bugeon has a number of years of experience with this technology and will provide you with valuable advice which will help you getting high quality results and save you money.

Location: South Kensington (Sir Alexander Fleming Building)
Contact: Dr Laurence Bugeon - l.bugeon@imperial.ac.uk

The St. Mary's Flow Cytometry Core Facility provides state-of-the-art instrumentation, services, education and consultation for investigators across Imperial College and external ones. Flow cytometry is a powerful tool for the multi-parameter analysis of cells of all types. Four high powered high parameter and high-speed flow cytometers (including a cell sorter) are available as well as Bio-Rad Bio-Plex 200 and MSD plate readers.

Its staff can help you design and analyse your samples whether flow cytometry or cytokine experiments run on the Bio-Plex or MSD. The facility is managed by Isabel Correa-Otero and supported by the academic leads for this core facility - Professor Peter Openshaw and Dr Fiona Culley.

Location: Medical School building at St Mary’s Campus
Contact: Isabel Correa-Otero – Facility manager (i.correa-otero@imperial.ac.uk)
Webpage: St. Mary's Flow Cytometry Core Facility

The Toxicology Unit at Imperial College, based at the Charing Cross Hospital campus, has provided an analytical service to HM Coroners in England and Wales for over 30 years.

Dr Susan Paterson, Head of Unit, has an international reputation in the field of forensic toxicology. The unit is carrying out internationally recognised research in the field of forensic toxicology and offers the distinct service of hair analysis to HM Coroners, in addition to routine sample analysis. The analysts in the laboratory are all suitably qualified graduates and highly trained.

Location: Charing Cross Hospital Campus
Contact: s.paterson@imperial.ac.uk
Webpage: Toxicology Unit

Transgenesis is a complex and fast growing technology. Having been involved in transgenesis and knock out technology for the past 9 years, our aim is to provide expertise for your models, from the gene to experimental analysis.

Issues that we can help you with include:

• experimental design for Transgenesis
• how to clone cDNA or genomic DNA
• homologous recombination or random integration
• choosing ES cells or pronuclear injection
• what promoter to drive expression of transgene
• constitutive or inducible expression
• the Cre-Lox system
• cell-type-specific or ubiquitous
• how to backcross, genotype and maintain a colony
• a database of already available transgenic and KO mice - the “mouse locator”

Location: South Kensington (Sir Alexander Fleming Building)
Contact: Dr Laurence Bugeon - l.bugeon@imperial.ac.uk