BioExM

Ned Budisa, professor at the department of chemistry and (Tier 1) Canada research chair in Synthetic Biology has pioneered the production of synthetic proteins containing modified residues at predefined sites. He has incorporated more than 200 amino acids with different side-chain modifications into synthetic proteins using this approach. This expansion of the genetic code enables the possibility for many still unanticipated protein-based technologies Budisa has dedicated his time at the University of Manitoba in pursuit of applying his protein-based technologies to evolve enzymes and microbes for bioremediation of plastics and organic pollutants, to develop protein-based drug delivery systems, and to engineer biosensors and nanodevices for diagnostic purposes.

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As a (Tier 1) Canada research chair in Structural Biology and Biophysics and professor at the Department of Chemistry, Jörg Stetefeld is working toward a molecular understanding of the structure-property relationships of extracellular proteins involved in the formation of dynamic high-order signalling complexes related to human disease. He is also examining the establishment of unique S-layer assemblies from extremophilic archaea. This research aims to improve our understanding of the signal complex formation and the mechanistic assembly of extracellular S-layer structures with great stability. This is essential for the development of structure-based applications in the fields of biomedicine and biotechnology. Leading to the development of new drugs to treat human diseases, including COVID-19, and various types of cancer, and the design of artificial protein assemblies.

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Hans-Joachim Wieden, professor at the department of microbiology and lead for BioSciences Entrepreneurship and Industry Partnerships, specializes in design-focused discovery research with particular emphasis on ribosome-dependent protein synthesis. The ribosome is a megadalton molecular machine that is composed of two types of biomolecules fundamental to life, RNA and proteins. Wieden uses a multi-disciplinary approach combining classical preparative biochemistry and rapid-kinetics, with advanced structural biology (Cryo-EM) and computational techniques (Molecular Dynamics Simulations) to extract fundamental principles of biomolecular function and to describe, predict and manipulate their performance. This approach is therefore applicable to many biomolecular systems beyond the ribosome, truly enabling the molecular design of next-generation bio-inspired solutions from the ground up.

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Steve Whyard, professor at the department of biological sciences and associate dean (research) at the Faculty of Science, is developing an RNA interference technology that applies double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to knock down sequence-specific gene expression and offers a new generation of pesticides that are species-specific and therefore do not adversely affect non-target species. Due to the ease by which new pesticidal RNAs can be developed, Whyard’s technology could be applied to a vast array of other pests and pathogens of crops, other pests of our homes and urban environments, and other food production systems. His research group is currently developing RNA-based pesticides to control specific disease-carrying mosquitoes, insect pests affecting canola crops, and fungal pathogens affecting several commercially important crops. As an extension of this work, they are also investigating novel RNA delivery systems. As RNA-based pesticides are readily biodegradable and so species-specific, they have the potential to be applied in many food production systems where chemical pesticides are not tolerated, either for health or environmental protection reasons.

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Rebecca Davis is an associate professor at the department of chemistry and her research is at the intersection of chemistry and biology and delves deep into the atomic level to investigate how small molecules invoke their activity based on their interactions with proteins. With this granular information, she then uses high-powered state-of-the-art computational approaches to predict features of other small molecule-protein binding interactions and energies to design improved drugs. With expertise in organic chemistry, Davis’s lab is then able to synthesize these newly improved compounds for experimental validation. This approach to studying small molecule interactions can be applied to a range of areas within and beyond medicine and Davis has been applying these methods to solve problems in antibiotic resistance, Gauche’s disease, and the toxicity of environmental pollutants.

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Sabine Kuss, an award-winning electrochemist and assistant professor at the department of chemistry, aims to reduce the time for diagnostics to a matter of minutes with the development of biosensors that can be incorporated into handheld devices for use in the clinic. Using electrochemistry, these sensors are able to detect substances that cross the outer layer of live bacteria and cancer cells. By detecting which substances, the bacteria or cancer cells expel, scientists can tell whether a cell is susceptible or resistant to a specific medication and therefore can rapidly select the most appropriate drug for treatment.

Gregg Tomy, professor at the department of chemistry and director at the Centre for Oil and Gas Development (COGRAD), is developing and applying cutting-edge environmental monitoring tools, including gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) for the detection of petroleum chemicals like polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), bioinspired monitoring and remediation tools, and eDNA metabarcoding approaches. Using a broad spectrum of world-class chemical analysis tools in conjunction with innovative applications in the field of bioremediation and monitoring, they are making discoveries across the country from projects in the Alberta Oil Sands to the Canadian Arctic in close collaborations with Environment and Climate Change Canada and members of several First Nation communities.

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Olivier Tremblay-Savard, associate professor at the department of computer science, primarily conducts research in Comparative Genomics, a field where complex biological problems include distance calculations, reconstruction of ancestral genomes, and inferences of evolutionary patterns. Using an interdisciplinary approach involving Computer Science, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Evolutionary biology, Tremblay-Savard develops efficient algorithms to tackle these and other complex problems. With a background in algorithmic, theoretical computer science, human-computer interactions and gamification, he is able to approach these problems from many different angles and is also able to create user-friendly, accessible, clear and engaging software.

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Silvia Cardona, professor at the department of microbiology, is a microbiologist collaborating with Pingzhao Hu, a computer scientist and Rebecca Davis, a chemist to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven tool to predict antibiotic activity in expansive virtual compound collections to screen for highly active molecules. Cardona’s unique platform integrates the global cellular response of bacteria to antibiotics with detailed descriptions of chemical structures and yields information on novel antibiotic mechanisms of action. Coupling high-throughput experimental data generation with AI-driven data modelling makes drug discovery automatic and fast.

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Sean McKenna seeks to understand the roles that non-coding RNA plays in the regulation of human disease states, with a focus on cancer. He uses a combination of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology to identify the biochemical pathways that these non-coding RNAs participate in and the protein complexes that they regulate. Integration of synthetic biology approaches has allowed the addition of unconventional chemical groups to RNA. These modifications are unique to human cells and allow McKenna to specifically identify binding partners of non-coding RNA, regulate the levels of specific non-coding RNA, or visualize RNA in a cellular context. Therapeutic approaches with unconventional RNA modifications have the potential to specifically target the non-coding RNA involved in some of the lesser-studied cancer pathways opening new hope for treatment.

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