Following a presentation by the CCLR Director, and the Head of Biological Sciences, there will be a guided tour of the clinical and laboratory facilities, highlighting the full capabilities of the centre.
About CCLR:
The Centre for Contact Lens Research (CCLR) was established in 1988 at the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science. It was designed to meet a need for objective, academically-grounded clinical research to support a growing contact lens industry. Since its inception, the research vision for the centre has broadened significantly, and it now has research capabilities far beyond the original scope of clinical contact lens studies. The centre takes an integrated approach to research, combining clinical, laboratory and socio-behavioral strategies and it is now the largest facility of its kind in the world. The CCLR consists of over 50 clinical and basic science researchers, graduate students, post-docs and support personnel and works with all of the major global companies working on the development of contact lens materials, solutions and dry eye products.
This event will focus primarily on reviewing the comprehensive laboratory equipment and techniques available at the CCLR for use by the University of Waterloo community and beyond. These facilities can be accessed for a wide variety of R&D and exploratory studies and the expertise of the CCLR researchers will be invaluable to a broad research community.
There will be an introduction to the state-of-the-art laboratory facilities available at the centre and their capabilities of supporting:
-
Microbiology
and
Toxicology
testing
- bacterial adhesion and growth
- biofilm testing
- microbial identification
- cytotoxicity testing
- biocompatibility testing
-
Cell
culture
- cell identification/phenotype
- immunohistochemistry
- Tissue analysis
- Determination of inflammatory response in cells and biological fluids
-
Protein
and
lipid
biochemistry
and
quantification
- including colorimetric and fluorescent assays, UV-Vis, radiolabel methods, HPLC, MS
- Biomaterial development, including drug delivery materials
-
Biomaterial
characterization
- microscopy techniques include SEM, TEM, AFM and confocal microscopy
- spectroscopic techniques include XPS and FT-IR
- measurement of contact angle, biomaterial wettability, water content, protein and lipid uptake, optical transmissibility
Speakers:
Dr. Lyndon Jones, CCLR Director
Dr. Lakshman Subbaraman, Head of Biological Sciences at CCLR
Registration is required as seating is limited.