Biochemistry, University of Toronto

SickKids-led researchers receive numerous grants from the Canada Foundation for Innovation

27 March 2021|

Professors Julie Forman-Kay, Simon Sharpe, P. Lynne Howell and John Rubinstein were awarded new CFI funds to help bring new technology to SickKids.

Professors Julie Forman-Kay, and Simon Sharpe, received more than $1.6 million to build on the SickKids Structural and Biophysical Core (SBC) facility. These new funds will support critical enhancements to cutting-edge research, knowledge creation, and training across biology and biophysics, including immunogen design for improved […]

An image of student winner, from left to right: Matt McCallum, Andreea Gheorghita, Ondrej Halgas, Natalie Bamford and Thomas Bateman.

Five Biochemistry Graduate Students win big at the Annual 2018 American Crystallographic Association meeting

27 July 2018|

Congratulations to graduate students: Matt McCallum, Andreea Gheorghita, and Thomas Bateman for winning the Pauling Poster Prizes and Ondrej Halgas and Natalie Bamford for winning the Taylor & Francis Biomolecular Crystallography Poster Prize and the Louis Delbaere Pauling Poster Prize, respectively, at the 2018 American Crystallographic Association (ACA) meeting held at the Sheraton Hotel, Toronto, July 22-26.

A special congratulations to Andreea Gheorghita for also winning the inaugural ACA Three minute thesis competition.

New Tools for Biofilm Disruption

8 June 2018|

Microbial biofilms grow on biotic and abiotic surfaces. The matrix of the biofilm that the pathogen produces protects them from the host immune response and antibiotics. This proposes a major challenge for the treatment of chronic infections. In an article published in Plos Pathogens, Dustin J. Little and Roland Pfoh (Howell lab) and co-authors demonstrate that the C-terminal domain of PgaB is a glycoside hydrolase that can hydrolyze […]

Howell lab deduces the mechanism of type IV pilus motors

5 May 2017|

Howell lab

The type IV pilus is a long and sturdy grappling hook that bacteria use to attach to a surface and then pull themselves closer to the surface. They are important for virulence in many pathogens, including those that cause cholera, gonorrhoea, food-borne diseases, and multi-drug resistant hospital acquired infections. The molecular mechanism of the motors involved in throwing out and pulling […]

Bamford awarded a 2016 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship

3 October 2016|

Natalie Bamford, a former University of Toronto Biochemistry Specialist and current PhD student in the Howell lab, was recently awarded a prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to continue her studies. Natalie’s research focuses on understanding the biosynthesis of the fungal biofilm exopolysaccharide galactosaminogalactan.

“This is a new exciting project as little is known of fungal exopolysaccharide biosynthesis. I […]

Howell lab develop novel ways to treat chronic bacterial infections

3 June 2016|

Bacterial biofilms represent a significant medical challenge due to the inability of therapeutics and the immune system to penetrate this protective coating. In a paper published online on May 20, 2016 in Science Advances, the Howell lab identified and produced two enzymes that the Gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa use to synthesis two exopolysaccharides, to degrade this critical component of the biofilm. The enzymes, known as glycoside hydrolases, do […]

Breaking down the protective armour of the mold Aspergillus fumigatus

3 December 2015|

Collaboration between Dr. P. Lynne Howell and Dr. Don Sheppard has led to the discovery of a novel class of enzymes and an increased understanding of how to potentially fight a common and deadly fungal infection.

Listen to the CBC Radio interview with Dr. Don Sheppard.

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