Expertise

Lawson Health Research Institute is known worldwide for its innovative medical research. We are closely integrated with collaborative groups across Canada, North America and in more than 40 countries around the world – we know how to work as a team. This collaboration allows us to offer a wide range of clinical research experience, facilities and technology, and business opportunities. View a comprehensive list of our capabilities.
 

Clinical research

Lawson has clinical research experience in all medical disciplines from prenatal and paediatric care to aging and geriatric care. Opportunities exist for Phase I – IV Trials, sponsored, peer-reviewed or investigator-initiated clinical research.

Lawson Clinical Research Services (LCRS)
LCRS is a versatile, fully-staffed facility that provides increased clinical trials capacity to investigators from London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s), as well as community physicians and dentists. LCRS provides the expertise and facilities to manage the clinical, technical and administrative aspects of both investigator and industry-sponsored research. The facility offers clients the opportunity to contract services, in whole or in part, required to successfully conduct clinical research.

Centre for Clinical Investigations and Therapeutics (CCIT)
CCIT is a state-of-the-art clinical research facility located at the Lindros Legacy Research building at LHSC’s University Hospital. The goal of the CCIT is to enable pioneering discoveries in the area of translational clinical research that improve care and treatment for patients. As the first of its kind in Canada, this centre functions as a dedicated and centralized hub of the intellectual and physical resources needed by clinician researchers. It also retains the capability and capacity for industry-sponsored clinical trials.

Gerald C. Baines Centre for Translational Cancer Research
Located at LHSC’s Victoria Hospital, the Gerald C. Baines Centre was established as a partnership between Lawson, LHSC’s London Regional Cancer Program, the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Western University. The centre supports citywide translational cancer research by linking researchers from multiple disciplines with academic clinicians and facilitating knowledge transfer between teams.

Lilibeth Caberto Kidney Clinical Research Unit (KCRU)
The KCRU is dedicated to clinical research in the areas of kidney health, kidney disease and treatments of dialysis and kidney transplantation. There are over 70 active clinical research studies being coordinated through the KCRU, a 4,000 square-foot facility located at LHSC’s Victoria Hospital. The KCRU also fosters strong ongoing collaboration with the ICES Kidney Dialysis and Transplant Program which are sited adjacent to the KCRU facility.

Facilities and Technology

At Lawson, we have joined with our partner research and clinical institutions to provide core research facilities and expertise for highly technical areas in a cost effective manner.

ICES Western
ICES Western is a satellite site of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, a not-for-profit research institute encompassing a community of research, data and clinical experts, and a secure and accessible array of Ontario’s health-related data. ICES researchers use this data to produce unique scientific insights that improve understanding of health care issues, guide decision-making and inform changes in care delivery in Ontario.

London Tumour Biobank
The London Tumour Biobank is a biorepository with tumour tissue, blood and urine samples from patients following breast and prostate biopsy. Researchers in London can access the samples, complete with comprehensive clinical data, for cancer research. The facility includes a cryogenic freezer with capacity to store over 41,000 patient samples at -196 degrees Celsius.

Lawson Imaging

Lawson Imaging is a world leader in non-invasive biomedical imaging. New developments in hybrid imaging platforms such as PET/MRI , PET/CT and SPECT/CT are currently being applied to the areas of cardiology, neurology, mental health, metabolic disease, cancer and more.

Using state-of-the-art imaging technology, research is focused on the development of non-invasive capabilities and diagnostic imaging so that we can better understand the fundamental mechanisms of human biology and enhance the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease. Lawson Imaging scientists have the expertise and creativity to discover and innovate through basic research, translational research, clinical trials and commercialization.

The first Canadian human magnetic resonance images (MRI) were taken at St. Joseph’s in 1982, and Lawson was eventually the first in Canada to receive a PET/CT scanner and whole body PET/MRI scanner. CT Perfusion to measure blood flow in the body was developed here and has transformed the way stroke is assessed around the globe. Also at the forefront are the emerging technologies of photoacoustic and optical imaging and optical spectroscopy, and investigation and therapeutic application of bioelectromagnetics.

Whole Body PET/MRI
MRI produces detailed anatomical images of body structures, while PET technology can track changes in a variety of disease conditions at the cellular metabolic level before structural or anatomic changes are seen on CT or MRI. The PET/MRI combines the metabolic imaging capabilities of PET with the structural imaging of MRI. The simultaneous capture of PET and MRI images has many advantages over sequential capture of PET and MRI, including improved co-registration of PET and MRI images, shorter overall imaging times and the ability to observe rapidly changing physiological processes simultaneously. The scanner is used by researchers to help improve diagnosis and treatment of Canada’s major health challenges, such as cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, mental illness and cancer.

Cyclotron & PET Radiochemistry
The Nordal Cyclotron & PET Radiochemistry Facility produces positron-emitting radiopharmaceuticals (PERs) which are used when patients undergo a positron emission tomography (PET) scan. The half-life of the radioactive isotopes in PERs is short and so they must be generated with a cyclotron that is close to the clinic where they are used. The facility produces shortlived PERs for St. Joseph’s and is becoming the centre of a regional distribution network. In combination with PET/CT, PET/MRI and preclinical PET imaging scanners, the facility supports a wide range of research projects including imaging applied to oncology, cardiology, neurology, psychology, bioelectromagnetics and other areas.