Laboratory of Clinical Exercise Physiology (LACEP) | Department of Medicine | School of Medicine

LACEP The Laboratory of Clinical Exercise Physiology (LACEP) is a new research facility created in 2013 with funds from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), The laboratory is headed by Dr. J Alberto Neder of the Division of Respirology, Department of Medicine, Queen's University. Here, an international team of researchers studies the function of multiple organ systems involved in physical activity, and strives for an integrated understanding of the factors that work together to limit exercise capacity in health and disease. Simultaneous recordings of cardiovascular, respiratory and circulatory systems are made using multiple state-of-the-art non-invasive techniques.

One of the laboratory's areas of focus is the use of exercise testing to provide new clinically useful markers of disease diagnosis and progression. This is especially true for the study of the complex interplay between overlapping conditions that are usually studied in isolation, such as heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The overlap between these conditions is common enough to make it highly important to better understand the way the two conditions alter patients' physical capacity and quality of life. We also devote much of our time to discover whether smoking may damage the delicate thin blood vessels before hurting other parts of the lungs. If we show that this actually happens, the treatment for people suffering from COPD would need to be changed to include drugs that can tackle this ignored problem.

The laboratory has an array of leading-edge techniques at its disposal; we are among the first laboratories to use some of the equipment we have. However our most important assets are the fantastic volunteers and participants in our studies, without whom we simply couldn't undertake this work. Our heartfelt thanks go to all who have made this possible. Here on this site we hope to give a feel for our studies, past and present, and to help you plan a visit to LACEP. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions (see the contacts page).

LACEP is Funded By:

Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization

Queen's University Department of Medicine

The William M. Spear Memorial Fund

The Queen's University Senate Advisory Research Committee

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)