The SPARC BioCentre applies state-of-the-art technologies for the molecular characterization of biological systems. Our platforms include advanced mass spectrometers for proteomics and metabolomics, HPLC-based amino acid analysis, Seahorse assays for cellular bioenergetics, Luminex multiplex immunoassays, and high-performance computational infrastructure for data processing and interpretation. We provide comprehensive analyses spanning the identification and quantification of macromolecules and small molecules, including global proteomes, proteins and peptides with post-translational modifications, as well as metabolites, amino acids, lipids, and pharmacological compounds.
The SPARC team is composed of highly skilled scientists and technical experts under the direction of Dr. Michael Moran. Operating on a cost-recovery basis, SPARC prioritizes collaborative projects of strategic importance at SickKids while also engaging extensively with academic, government, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology partners across Canada. We support research from early consultation and experimental design through data acquisition, advanced analysis, and assistance with publications and grant proposals.