Dr. Karsten Liber, Director

Toxicology is the science that deals with the adverse effects of chemical and physical agents on living organisms and biological systems. The University of Saskatchewan first formally recognized the need for developing expertise in this area in 1975, when a coordinator of toxicology research on campus was appointed with the specific mandate to foster toxicology research, and to work towards the establishment of a Toxicology Centre. In 1978, the College of Graduate Studies and Research approved the terms of reference for the establishment of the Toxicology Group, whose members are comprised of scientists with academic or research interests in toxicology at the University, or any of the Federal or Provincial agencies on campus. The widespread expertise of the Toxicology Group provided the foundation for the development of an interdisciplinary graduate program in toxicology, the first of its kind in Canada, which the University approved in 1980. Further support for toxicology was achieved in 1982, when the Government of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan entered into an agreement to establish a Toxicology Research Centre, with Dr. Bruno Schiefer appointed as Director. The Centre is located on campus in a modern facility, created in 1986 with the assistance of a $2 million contribution from the Federal Government. 

In a coordinated effort with centres in Montréal, Québec, and Guelph, Ontario, the Centre in Saskatoon became the Western Node for the Canadian Network of Toxicology Centres, incorporated in 1988 with a mandate to improve human and environmental health by advancing Canadians' understanding of toxic substances and their impact on human health and the environment. 

In 1996, the Toxicology Research Centre, the Toxicology Group, and the Toxicology Graduate Program were amalgamated into a single functional unit, the Toxicology Centre, with the goal of providing long-term stability and a focus for toxicology activities on campus. This year also marked the appointment of Dr. Karsten Liber as Director, succeeding Dr. Schiefer after his many years of dedicated work. Dr. Liber's expertise in environmental toxicology expanded the Centre's existing capabilities in traditional clinical toxicology research and teaching. 

The next ten years saw a gradual, but steady, growth in the Centre itself, with the creation of five controlled-environment chambers for conducting both acute and chronic aquatic toxicity tests with several species of freshwater invertebrates, small fish, and algae. New equipment and renovated laboratory space were acquired to augment these facilities. There was also a steady growth in the number of faculty, graduate students, and technical staff occupying the Centre during this time period.

Construction began in earnest in January of 2006 on an $11.8-million expansion to the Centre, giving it unique capabilities that now make it the foremost centre in the country for water pollution research. A new Aquatic Toxicology Research Facility (ATRF) is the only facility of its type in Canada and one of only a few in the world, and will allow the U of S to pursue its goal of becoming the national and international leader in aquatic toxicology research and training. Accompanying research laboratories consist of analytical, wet chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology laboratories. Renovation of existing facilities also provided critically needed office space. The new infrastructure has a core user group of 14 aquatic toxicology faculty, including two Canada Research Chairs (Dr. John Giesy and Dr. Monique Dubé), and countless collaborators, research partners, graduate students, technical staff, and visiting scientists.

The ATRF is unique in its capacity to simultaneously accommodate multiple aquatic toxicology research projects requiring very different species, water quality and experimental conditions. The facility consists of separate areas for animal culturing and experimentation, and for the pre- and post-treatment of water. The project was completed in the spring of 2007 (See "Research" for more details).