Biochemistry
Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes and transformations in living organisms, including the structure and function of cellular components such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules. Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry utilize a wide variety of approaches, experimental systems, and techniques to tackle outstanding problems in our biochemical knowledge.
Enzyme Structure and Function:
- Dr. Kyle Biggar (Protein biochemistry)
- Dr. Jenny Bruin (Diabetes, xenobiotic metabolism)
- Dr. Ken Storey (Freeze tolerance)
- Dr. Bill Willmore (Oxidative stress)
- Dr. Heath MacMillan (Temperature effects on biochemistry)
- Dr. Tyler Avis (Antimicrobial compounds)
Analytical Chemistry of Biomolecules:
- Dr. Anatoli Ianoul (Scanning probe microscopy)
- Dr. Ed Lai (Analysis methods for biomolecules)
Biotechnology
Biotechnology involves the development of novel products and new methods of production based on living organisms or their parts. Biotechnology has yielding new knowledge, products and methods particularly in health care (medical), agriculture, non-food (industrial), and environmental. Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry along with with government and industry partners are pursuing new biotechnology that aims to improve the quality of human health and productivity.
Medical Biotechnology
- Dr. David Miller (Fungal & toxin sensing)
Agricultural Biotechnology
- Dr. Tyler Avis (Plant and food microbiology)
- Dr. Peter Buist (Bioremediation)
- Dr. Owen Rowland (Crop vulnerability)
- Dr. Myron Smith (Microbial control strategies)
- Dr. Tim Xing (Plant disease resistance)
Nanotechnology
- Dr. Maria DeRosa (Aptamers)
Computational Biochemistry
Computational Biochemistry provides insight into the metabolic and regulatory behavior of organisms. It aims to provide predictive models that utilize our increasing knowledge of individual macromolecule function within a biological system based on an organism’s genome and correlated with its physiology.
Computational Systems Biology
The development and use efficient algorithms, data structures and communication tools to orchestrate the integration of large quantities of biological data.
- Dr. James Cheetham (Pre-synaptic nerve modeling)
- Dr. Ashkan Golshani (Protein interaction networks)
Genomics & Proteomics
Recent advances in biochemistry are firmly rooted in the use of high throughout technologies to determine the functional aspects of macromolecules. While genomics aims to increase our understanding of an organism’s entire genome, proteomics aims to reveal the structure and function of extensive networks of interacting proteins that make up the entire complement of proteins produced by an organism.
Genomics
- Dr. Jenny Bruin (Diabetes, islet biology)
- Dr. Shelley Hepworth (Flower signalling & development)
- Dr. Bruce McKay (Genomic analysis of cancer treatment)
- Dr. Owen Rowland (Wax biosynthesis)
- Dr. Myron Smith (Nonself recognition)
- Dr. Ken Storey (Freeze tolerance)
- Dr Heath MacMillan (Functional genomics of stress)
Proteomics
- Dr. Kyle Biggar (Protein biochemistry)
- Dr. Ashkan Golshani (Protein interaction networks)
- Dr. Nicolas Rodrigue (Protein structure and molecular evolution)
- Dr. Jeff Smith (Mass spectrometry)