The Toronto Centre for Phenogenomics (TCP) opened in October 2007. It is an innovative scientific collaboration between four major research hospitals ('Member Hospitals') to operate a centralised, state-of-the-art research-enabling mouse facility in downtown Toronto. It is a model for innovation and differentiates itself in mouse-based research and discovery in two fundamental ways. First, the TCP with capacity for 36,000 cages is the largest Centre of its kind in Canada, and achieves excellence with economies of scale. The building is approximately 11,000 gross square metres of space on four occupied and two service floors. It houses specialised laboratories for mouse generation and analyses with holding space and services for up to 180,000 mice on individually vented micro isolator cage racks. Secondly, the TCP also provides something new; it is functionally programmed to pool expertise and facilities under one-roof, as a comprehensive resource for mouse-based research so we can enable the best science, supported by the best infrastructure. The TCP has been designed and constructed to conduct and support genetic research involving generation of mutant mice, physiological and cardiovascular phenotyping, neurobiology and behavioural analysis, pathology, and cryopreservation for storage and distribution. The TCP has the critical capacity to provide mouse holding and provision and coordination of research services (including a high-throughput Transgenic, Knock-out, and embryo biology service) to investigators at all 4 Member Hospitals and to strategic external academic and industry users locally and around the world.
In addition, two research programs are located at the TCP that are dedicated to mouse phenotyping and mouse archiving. The mutagenesis and high-throughput phenotyping program of the Centre for Modeling Human Disease (CMHD) established in 2000 supports a comprehensive phenotyping and gene-discovery platform and has demonstrated success by generating exciting new models of human disease in areas such as diabetes, cancer, musculoskeletal disease, cardiovascular and renal function, embryonic development, neurodegenerative disease, and the therapeutic capacity of stem cells and regenerative medicine. The Canadian Mouse Mutant Repository (CMMR) established in 2003 provides cryopreservation, in vitro fertilisation, and multiple format tissue archiving and distribution to support Canada’s genomics research effort.