Biochemistry, University of Toronto

Co-produced synergistic metabolites from bacteria hold hope for tackling antimicrobial resistance

7 September 2021|

Bacterial specialized metabolites may more commonly be produced and act in combination than previously appreciated. In a new review for Nature Microbiology, postdoctoral fellow Kirsten Meyer and Professor Justin Nodwell discuss the biology and applications of combination metabolites with synergistic antimicrobial activity. Bacteria from diverse phyla and environments produce synergistic metabolite combinations. Despite this diversity, there are conserved genetic and biosynthetic strategies for production of the combinations. The metabolite combinations […]

Workshop on RanBP2/Nup358 and Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy

2 September 2021|

Professor Alex Palazzo is co-organizing with Jomon Joseph (National Centre For Cell Science, Pune) a Workshop on RanBP2/Nup358 and Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy, November 10^th to 12^th (9AM to 12:30PM, EST). The workshop is free and will be held over Zoom. If you would like to attend, please register (see the link below). If you, or your trainees, would like to present your work, we have reserved slots for […]

Biochemistry Outreach Day

30 July 2021|

Inclusion begins with encouraging and providing opportunities for everyone to get involved. On Wednesday, March 24, 2021, the Department of Biochemistry’s Wellness, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (WIDE) committee, held our department’s very first Biochemistry Day. The half-day event was designed in partnership with the University of Toronto, St. George Outreach Site of Let’s Talk Science (LTS), which is a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to promoting youth interest in science, tech, […]

An open-source platform to quantify subnuclear foci and protein colocalization in response to replication stress

7 July 2021|

Nuclear reorganization, including the localization of proteins into discrete subnuclear foci, is a hallmark of the cellular response to DNA damage and replication stress. These foci are thought to represent transient environments or repair factories, in which the lesion is sequestered with molecules and co-factors that catalyze repair. For example, nuclear foci contain signaling proteins that recruit transducer proteins. One important class of transducers is the structure-selective endonucleases, such as […]

Congratulations to Professor Stephane Angers named the new Director of the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research

5 July 2021|

Professor Stephane Angers has been appointed director of the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research for a five-year term beginning September 1, 2021.

Angers, who is currently Associate Dean of Research in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, holds appointments with the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and the Department of Biochemistry at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. He is also the founding co-director of the […]

Biochemistry Specialists, Class of 2021

3 June 2021|

Congratulations to our graduating Biochemistry Specialists! We are very proud of the accomplishments of this impressive group of young scientists. With an ongoing thirst for knowledge and discovery, all ten are bound for exciting graduate programs in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Biomedical Communications, and Plant and Microbial Biology, at the University of Toronto, McGill University, and UC Berkeley. Best of luck in grad school!

2021 Faculty Promotion

27 May 2021|

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Joel C. Watts who has received promotion, effective, July 1, 2021, to the rank of Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry.

Please join me in warmly congratulating Joel for his well-deserved promotion!

Highlights of Dr. Nana Lee’s 2021 Course on Design Thinking for Scientists (DTS)

19 May 2021|

Dr. Nana Lee and judges congratulate all eight PhD students: Audrey Kassardjian (Immunology), Marim Barghash (Biochemistry), Krithika Muthuraman (Biochemistry), Paraskevi Massara (Nutritional Sciences), Shimon Rosenthal (Molecular Genetics), Shelley He (Biochemistry), Fernando Valencia (Cell and Systems Biology), Avinash Mukkala (Institute of Medical Sciences) for their brilliant creations for social innovations for the scientific world and their awesome pitch presentations! Honorable […]

Professor Julie Forman-Kay elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society

11 May 2021|

The Biochemistry Department is pleased to report that Professor Julie Forman-Kay has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of her internationally renowned studies of the dynamic structures, interactions and functions of intrinsically disordered proteins. Congratulations!

A homogeneous split-luciferase assay for rapid and sensitive detection of anti-SARS CoV-2 antibodies

30 April 2021|

The Stagljar lab has developed an innovative and cost-effective COVID-19 serological called SATiN (for Serological Assay based on split Tripart Nanoluciferase).

SATiN is an example of an innovative, Canadian-made COVID-19 serological test with the potential to make a significant contribution to the fight against COVID-19. It has excellent sensitivity, specificity, operability and quantifiability, as well as great scientific and commercial possibilities. The assay is performed directly in the liquid phase of patient sera, making […]

Degrees of Success

30 April 2021|

Reinhart Reithmeier was a member of an Expert Panel convened by the Council of Canadian Academies on “The Labour Market Transition of PhD Graduates”. The key findings include:

PhD graduates bring valued skills to a wide range of sectors, although these skills are often not fully recognized outside academia
The number of PhD graduates in Canada is increasing, yet lags behind other OECD countries who have more robust R&D investment

[…]

Appointment of Prof. Liliana Attisano as Interim Chair, Dept. of Biochemistry

23 April 2021|

This message is being sent to the Department of Biochemistry on behalf of Dr. Trevor Young, Dean, Temerty Faculty of Medicine and Vice Provost, Relations with Health Care Institutions.

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that the Agenda Committee of the Academic Board has approved the appointment of Professor Liliana Attisano as Interim Chair and Graduate Chair, Department of Biochemistry, effective May 1, […]

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