With generous support from donors and volunteers in 2018, we supported 9 outstanding early career researchers across Canada. These researchers have since made significant progress on their research projects, expanded their research teams, received additional honours and awards, and secured longer-term funding from other granting agencies! Here are some updates from the 2018 Discovery Awardees:…
John Trant, PhD
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor Dendronized enzymatically-resistant carbohydrate vaccines for treating lung cancer Therapeutic vaccines incorporating sugar molecules could provide new cancer treatments. Because over 85% of carcinoma cancer cells, regardless of organ, display the same few sugars on their surface, sugars not found on healthy cells, these sugars are promising targets…
Rebecca Shapiro, PhD
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph Genetic and functional genomic analysis of antifungal drug resistance in Candida auris Combating infectious disease pathogens is a pressing global health challenge. Due to limited treatment options, fungal pathogens pose a unique challenge, and are emerging as a leading cause of human mortality. The proposed research…
Ian Rodrigue-Gervais, PhD
Department of Infectious Diseases, INRS – Institut Armand-Frappier Function of mitochondrial proteases on inflammation and necrosis in influenza virus pathogenesis Every year, people fall ill with the flu, a respiratory disease caused by the influenza virus. Our main tools for fighting deadly flu outbreaks are vaccines and antiviral drugs. But, despite their availability in Canada,…
Salim Islam, PhD
Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, INRS – Institut Armand-Frappier Bacterial social networking via outer-membrane extrusion: towards an understanding of colonization and persistence Bacteria can colonize both living and non-living surfaces, leading to the development of a microbial community. However, the manner in which different types of bacterial cells interact with each other in such densely-populated…
Robert Huber, PhD
Department of Biology, Trent University Using the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum to study neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis Mutations in CLN5 cause late-infantile, juvenile, and adults forms of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL), commonly known as Batten disease. This devastating neurological disorder, which is linked to mutations in 13 genetically distinct genes, affects all ages and ethnicities and…
Nomazulu Dlamini, MD PhD
Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children Neural network reorganization and maladaptive plasticity in dystonia post childhood basal ganglia stroke Dystonia is a disabling and often painful disorder characterized by involuntary, repetitive muscle contractions, twisting movements and abnormal posturing. It is often resistant to treatment, and many children with dystonia develop fixed deformities with…
Dylan Cooke, PhD
Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University Accelerated mapping of individual variation in brain organization with online detection of EMG activity Individuality is widely celebrated in human culture but rarely studied in the laboratory. As with dexterity and athletic coordination, brain organization varies significantly between individuals, though it is not known whether “natural…
Kyle Biggar, PhD
Department of Biology, Carleton University Identification of new substrates of the histone methyltransferase enzyme, SMYD3, and their implication in lung cancer development Lysine methylation plays a critical role in the development of many human diseases. These small chemical protein modifications allow cells to exert greater control over protein function. Importantly, proteins that control this lysine…
Ali Abdul-Sater, PhD
School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University Dissecting the role of TRAF1 in regulating inflammatory and autoimmune diseases Autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) are largely driven by abnormal inflammatory responses. Recent research from Dr Abdul-Sater’s group showed that TRAF1, an immune signaling molecule associated with increased risk to RA, can control inflammation. They…
