Biochemistry, University of Toronto

10,000 PhDs Project Highlighted in Science

15 March 2019|

A March 12^th article in Science Careers on the changing career landscape for PhD graduates highlighted the 10,000 PhDs Project and the importance of determining the career outcomes of PhD graduates.

The 10 founding universities in the Coalition for Next Generation Life Sciences, including UCSF, Johns Hopkins and Cornell, have now released data on their PhD students, including times to completion and their career choices within 1 year after graduation, 5 […]

Dr. Karen Maxwell featured in the Globe and Mail’s feature on women in STEM

8 March 2019|

Biochemistry’s own Karen Maxwell is featured in the Globe and Mail’s feature on women in STEM. Please click here to view the details.

DNA Replication Stress Causes Mutations

Jolyn Duan2019-03-04T15:12:01+00:004 March 2019|

Grant Brown’s lab at the Donnelly Centre has characterized a new mutagenic ssDNA gap filling pathway in budding yeast. Their findings will be published in the March 7^th issue of Molecular Cell.

DNA replication is a fundamental process that occurs before every cell division and must be completed in a timely and accurate fashion. Under normal cellular conditions this reaction is carried out by the highly processive and accurate replicative […]

How to protect Peroxisomes and Mitochondria from Dying

Jolyn Duan2019-02-06T13:22:13+00:006 February 2019|

The regulation of organelle abundance is critical for cell function and survival; however, the mechanisms responsible are not fully understood. Imbalances in organelle abundance can result in disease states, including Parkinson’s Disease resulting from dysregulated mitochondrial homeostasis. Peroxisome dysregulation also results in disease, most notably the Zellweger’s spectrum disorders. Although first considered to be caused exclusively by reduced peroxisome biogenesis, recently work shows that the most are due to increase […]

10,000 PhDs Project Published in PLOS ONE

Jolyn Duan2019-01-18T09:19:03+00:0016 January 2019|

Where do today’s PhDs find work? Do they all become professors? The 10,000 PhDs Project at the University of Toronto (U of T) answers these questions as highlighted in an article published January 16, 2019 in the open-access science journal PLOS ONE.

The 10,000 PhDs Project used publically-available information to determine the current employment positions of the 10,886 individuals who graduated with a PhD from U of T in all […]

Hue Sun Chan recognized as the 2019 Fellow of the Biophysical Society of Canada

Jolyn Duan2019-01-09T16:21:25+00:009 January 2019|

Professor Hue Sun Chan has been recognized by the Biophysical Society of Canada as the 2019 Fellow. He will be the National Lecturer at the Society’s Annual Meeting in May 2019.

SickKids-led team discovers a drug that disarms a deadly hospital superbug

Jolyn Duan2018-12-07T09:38:24+00:007 December 2018|

In a new study that was published in Nature Communications, a team led by Roman Melnyk, Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto and Senior Scientist in the Molecular Medicine program at SickKids, screened thousands of small-molecule drugs to find any that might block the effects of the deadly toxins – without affecting the gut bacteria. Niclosamide, a drug that was approved decades […]

SickKids scientists and collaborators identify structure of key malaria protein with blocking antibody

Jolyn Duan2018-11-21T16:08:54+00:0021 November 2018|

SickKids scientists have taken an important step forward on the path to finding effective biomedical interventions to halt the spread of malaria, a disease that affected an estimated 216 million people worldwide in 2016 alone.

Jean-Philippe Julien, Canada Research Chair in Structural Immunology, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Biochemistry and Immunology at the University of Toronto, and Scientist in the Molecular Medicine program at SickKids, and his colleagues […]

A big Biochemistry welcome to this year’s 2nd year class of Specialists!

Jolyn Duan2018-10-26T13:57:48+00:0026 October 2018|

The Department of Biochemistry is pleased to welcome our incoming class of 2^nd year Biochemistry Specialists. The Biochemistry Specialist program is open to a small cohort of exceptional students who wish to pursue a career in research. This year’s class has already begun their laboratory training in BCH242Y, applying their theoretical knowledge, while honing their skills in fundamental laboratory techniques.

A novel potential approach to treat cancer: Targetting NUAK2 to block oncogenic YAP/TAZ signaling during tumorigenesis

Jolyn Duan2018-10-03T15:17:07+00:003 October 2018|

Time-lapse imaging of Clover-YAP WT (first movie) and 5SA (second movie) in MDA-MB231 cells. Localization of Clover-YAP WT (wild type) and 5SA (mutant at all five LATS targeting sites) was monitored before and after addition of NUAK2 specific inhibitor, WZ4003. Note that the nuclear signal is gradually lost after addition of WZ4003 in cells expressing YAP-WT but not affected in YAP-5SA. Images were captured every 10 min for 2 hours. […]

18th International Conference on Retinal Proteins

Jolyn Duan2018-09-21T09:57:27+00:0021 September 2018|

Oliver Ernst (Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics) and Leonid Brown (University of Guelph) are organizing the 18th International Conference on Retinal Proteins, 24-29 September 2018, Hockley Valley Resort, Ontario (1h northwest of Toronto). The Resort is fully booked, but day registrations are still possible to get latest insight into retinal proteins, which are key to optogenetics and understanding GPCR signaling. The conference welcomes two of the 2018 Gairdner awardees. For […]