Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research / en Nabeel Shah recognized with Donnelly Centre Research Thesis Prize /celebrates/nabeel-shah-recognized-donnelly-centre-research-thesis-prize <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Nabeel Shah recognized with Donnelly Centre Research Thesis Prize</span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>rahul.kalvapalle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-10-02T10:07:36-04:00" title="Wednesday, October 2, 2024 - 10:07" class="datetime">Wed, 10/02/2024 - 10:07</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-people/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-campus/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/department-molecular-genetics" hreflang="en">Department of Molecular Genetics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-and-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/temerty-faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Temerty Faculty of Medicine</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-image-orientation field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">landscape</div> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/2024-10/Nabeel-Shah-crop.jpg" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>(supplied image)</em></p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Syed Nabeel Haider Shah</strong>, a PhD graduate of the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, has been recognized with the 2024 <a href="https://thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/donnelly-centre-research-thesis-prize">Donnelly Centre Research Thesis Prize</a>.</p> <p>The annual prize recognizes the quality, originality and significance of a PhD graduate’s work.</p> <p>Shah’s research examined newly identified RNA binding proteins, two of which were found to have potential roles in cancer development and treatment. One of the proteins was found to be able to <a href="https://thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/news/double-life-sp1-proteins-new-role-upends-long-held-thinking-about-its-impact-cancer">enhance the ability of cancer cells to develop into tumours</a>, while the other was found to <a href="https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13059-024-03392-7">perform the reverse role by suppressing growth of tumour cells</a>.</p> <p>“Nabeel has had an extraordinary PhD career,” said his supervisor&nbsp;<strong>Jack Greenblatt</strong>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-professors/complete-list-university-professors/">University Professor</a>&nbsp;in the department of molecular genetics. “He published 25 peer-reviewed papers from research he conducted over the course of his studies, with lead authorship on 12 of them – and he continues to publish papers from his thesis work. Nabeel made the most of his PhD by contributing significantly and widely across biomedicine.”</p> <p>Shah credits Greenblatt for being a supportive adviser who provided guidance while allowing him to work independently to develop research projects. “I believe if I was a PhD student in any other lab, it wouldn’t have been possible for me to accomplish as much as I did,” said Shah.</p> <h3><a href="https://thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/news/nabeel-shah-wins-2024-donnelly-centre-research-thesis-prize">Read the Donnelly Centre story</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-source field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Donnelly </div> <div class="field field--name-field-top-story-hub-page- field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Top Story (Hub page)</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 02 Oct 2024 14:07:36 +0000 rahul.kalvapalle 309657 at Ulrich Braunschweig and Muhammad Rizwan win Research Excellence Awards /celebrates/ulrich-braunschweig-and-muhammad-rizwan-win-research-excellence-awards <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Ulrich Braunschweig and Muhammad Rizwan win Research Excellence Awards</span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-10-15T07:57:26-04:00" title="Friday, October 15, 2021 - 07:57" class="datetime">Fri, 10/15/2021 - 07:57</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-people/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-campus/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/donnelly-centre-research-excellence-awards" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre Research Excellence Awards</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-and-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-image-orientation field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">landscape</div> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/media/Ulrich%20Muhammad%20collage.png" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item">Ulrich Braunschweig (L) and Muhammad Rizwan</div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Ulrich Braunschweig</strong> and <strong>Muhammad Rizwan</strong> have received 2021 Research Excellence Awards from the ؿζSM’s&nbsp;<a href="https://thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/">Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research</a> for their contributions to the fields of gene regulation and tissue engineering.</p> <p>The annual awards recognize postdoctoral researchers working at the intersection of scientific disciplines in the Donnelly Centre to shed light on the molecular processes behind disease and to devise new treatments.</p> <p><b>Ulrich Braunschweig</b>, a research associate in Professor <a href="https://thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/faculty/benjamin-blencowe"><b>Ben Blencowe</b></a>’s lab, is being recognized for developing a novel DNA-sequencing-based technology, Spar-Seq, to study gene regulation in cells. This allowed him to discover novel regulators of alternative splicing, a process used by the cells to diversify protein species, which has been implicated in neurological disorders such as autism.</p> <p><b>Muhammad Rizwan</b>, a research associate in University Professor <a href="https://thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/faculty/molly-shoichet"><b>Molly Shoichet</b></a>’s group, received the award for engineering a biomaterial that can support growth of stem cell-derived liver bile ducts in a dish. His work holds potential for deriving lab-grown transplant tissue to offset the global shortage of donor livers for patients with bile duct diseases.</p> <p>“I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to Ulrich and Muhammad,” says <b>Charles Boone</b>, a professor of molecular genetics and a former interim director of the Centre, who helped select the prize winners. “They developed novel technologies in their respective fields which allowed them to ask questions and gain insights that were not possible before. I can hardly wait to see what they will achieve next!"</p> <h3><a href="https://thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/news/2021-research-excellence-awards-recognize-progress-gene-regulation-and-tissue-engineering">Read the Donnelly Centre story</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-source field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Donnelly Centre</div> <div class="field field--name-field-top-story-hub-page- field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Top Story (Hub page)</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 15 Oct 2021 11:57:26 +0000 lanthierj 170857 at Marina Musa named 2021 Charles H. Best Fellow /celebrates/marina-musa-named-2021-charles-h-best-fellow <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Marina Musa named 2021 Charles H. Best Fellow</span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/academic-achievement" hreflang="en">Academic Achievement</a></div> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-05-05T11:23:02-04:00" title="Wednesday, May 5, 2021 - 11:23" class="datetime">Wed, 05/05/2021 - 11:23</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-people/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-campus/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-and-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/insulin-100" hreflang="en">Insulin 100</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/women-stem" hreflang="en">Women in STEM</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-image-orientation field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">landscape</div> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/2023-05/Marina%20Musa%20%281%29.jpeg" width="750" height="500" alt="Marina Musa"> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>(Photo courtesy of Marina Musa)</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Postdoctoral researcher <strong>Marina Musa</strong> has been awarded the <strong>Charles H. Best</strong> fellowship for 2021.</p> <p>The prestigious annual award recognizes an outstanding postdoctoral candidate in the ؿζSM's Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular&nbsp;Research whose research has the potential to benefit society. Established in 2001, the fellowship is awarded by <a href="http://www.charlesbestfoundation.ca/index.html">The Charles H. Best Foundation</a> in the memory of one of the discoverers of insulin at U of T.</p> <p>Musa joined the lab of <b>Andy Fraser</b>, a professor of molecular genetics in the Donnelly Centre, to study the metabolism of parasitic round worms which infect the guts of around one billion people worldwide, mostly in poor countries where they have long-lasting effects on development and health. Meanwhile, a growing resistance among the parasites to the existing medications means that new drugs are urgently needed.</p> <p>Musa is investigating how bacteria in the worm gut, or microbiome, contribute to infection. Her goal is to identify the chemicals produced by the bacteria that are essential for the parasites’ survival inside the host gut.</p> <p>“What we are studying is essentially a biological puzzle with the host, the parasite and the microbiome all affecting each other, and there is a lot of variability and uncertainty, and this fellowship is a great encouragement to continue with research,” says Musa.</p> <p>“I am very excited to see where this project takes us in the future.”</p> <h3><a href="https://www.thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/news/marina-musa-wins-charles-h-best-fellowship-study-parasite-metabolism-search-new-treatments">Read the Donnelly Centre story</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-source field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Donnelly Centre</div> <div class="field field--name-field-top-story-hub-page- field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Top Story (Hub page)</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 05 May 2021 15:23:02 +0000 lanthierj 301455 at Graduate student Jamie Wu receives Dorrington Award /celebrates/graduate-student-jamie-wu-receives-dorrington-award <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Graduate student Jamie Wu receives Dorrington Award</span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/academic-achievement" hreflang="en">Academic Achievement</a></div> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-04-09T09:25:58-04:00" title="Friday, April 9, 2021 - 09:25" class="datetime">Fri, 04/09/2021 - 09:25</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-people/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-campus/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/jennifer-dorrington-award" hreflang="en">Jennifer Dorrington Award</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-and-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/temerty-faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Temerty Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/women-stem" hreflang="en">Women in STEM</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-image-orientation field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">landscape</div> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/media/Jamie_Wu.jpg" width="750" height="500" alt="Jamie Wu"> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><b>Jamie Wu</b>, a third-year PhD student in biomedical engineering, has been awarded a Jennifer Dorrington Graduate Research Award for 2021.</p> <p>Wu’s research seeks to reveal how medication-carrying nanoparticles are transported from the bloodstream into tumours in a bid to enhance targeted tumour drug delivery. She is supervised by Professor <b>Warren Chan</b>, director of U of T’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering and an investigator in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research.</p> <p>“If we can figure out what cell machinery is used to transport nanoparticles, we’ll know what targeting molecule to put on these nanoparticles for them to cross the blood vessel wall and enter the tumour in larger quantities,” says Wu. “These biological insights will allow us to design our particles better and get them into the cancer cells.”</p> <p>Her lab previously showed that only a fraction of nanoparticles injected into the bloodstream reach tumours – and they undergo active transport across cells lining the blood vessels to enter the tumour, instead of leaking in passively as previously thought. Wu uses a combination of genetic approaches, in collaboration with <b>Jason Moffat</b>’s lab in the Donnelly Centre, as well as optical and electron microscope imaging to identify the cellular components involved in the transport.</p> <p>“It’s a tremendous honour to win the Dorrington Award,” says Wu. “I’ve always looked up to my lab mates who previously won this award and it is both humbling and encouraging to be recognized in the same way.”</p> <h3><a href="https://www.thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/news/2021-dorrington-awards-recognize-graduate-research-drug-discovery-precision-medicine-and-cancer">Read the Donnelly Centre story</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-source field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Donnelly Centre</div> <div class="field field--name-field-top-story-hub-page- field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Top Story (Hub page)</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 09 Apr 2021 13:25:58 +0000 lanthierj 169008 at Graduate student Jessica Knox receives Dorrington Award /celebrates/graduate-student-jessica-knox-receives-dorrington-award <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Graduate student Jessica Knox receives Dorrington Award</span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/academic-achievement" hreflang="en">Academic Achievement</a></div> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-04-09T08:58:58-04:00" title="Friday, April 9, 2021 - 08:58" class="datetime">Fri, 04/09/2021 - 08:58</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-people/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-campus/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/jennifer-dorrington-award" hreflang="en">Jennifer Dorrington Award</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-and-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/temerty-faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Temerty Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/women-stem" hreflang="en">Women in STEM</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-image-orientation field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">landscape</div> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/media/Jess_Knox_Photo.jpg" width="750" height="500" alt="Jess Knox"> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><b>Jessica Knox</b>, a fourth-year PhD student in molecular genetics, has been awarded a Jennifer Dorrington graduate Research Award for 2021.</p> <p>“I am very grateful for this award,” says Knox. “It’s very motivating and a big confidence boost, because it means I’m on the right track.”</p> <p>Knox is working to identify new chemical compounds that can kill worm parasites that destroy crops and threaten global food supply. She is supervised by <b>Peter Roy</b>, a professor of molecular genetics in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, whose team previously discovered several chemicals effective against the nematode worm <i>C. elegans</i> which they use as a model for these crop parasites.</p> <p>Supported by a Burroughs Wellcome Fund travel award, Knox tested these compounds at the U.S. Department of Agriculture research centre in Corvallis, Oregon. She found that some of the compounds were more effective than existing pesticides in protecting the roots of tomato plants from the widespread and highly destructive parasite, <i>Meloidogyne incognita.</i>&nbsp;The chemicals are only toxic to worms and have no effect on other animals, such as fish, or on cultured human cells suggesting that they are harmless to humans.</p> <p>Knox’s goal for the remainder of her PhD is to establish how the chemicals work at the molecular level so that they can be more easily turned into commercial products.</p> <h3><a href="https://www.thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/news/2021-dorrington-awards-recognize-graduate-research-drug-discovery-precision-medicine-and-cancer">Read the Donnelly Centre story</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-source field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Donnelly Centre</div> <div class="field field--name-field-top-story-hub-page- field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Top Story (Hub page)</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 09 Apr 2021 12:58:58 +0000 lanthierj 169007 at Graduate student Shubham Gupta receives Dorrington Award /celebrates/graduate-student-shubham-gupta-receives-dorrington-award <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Graduate student Shubham Gupta receives Dorrington Award</span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/academic-achievement" hreflang="en">Academic Achievement</a></div> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-04-09T08:43:45-04:00" title="Friday, April 9, 2021 - 08:43" class="datetime">Fri, 04/09/2021 - 08:43</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-people/faculty" hreflang="en">Faculty</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-campus/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/jennifer-dorrington-award" hreflang="en">Jennifer Dorrington Award</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/temerty-faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Temerty Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-and-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-image-orientation field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">landscape</div> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/media/Shubham_Gupta.jpg" width="750" height="500" alt="Shubham Gupta"> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><b>Shubham Gupta</b>, a fourth-year PhD student in molecular genetics and computational biology, has been awarded a Jennifer Dorrington Graduate Research Award for 2021.</p> <p>Gupta’s research goal is to develop computational methods for identification of early biomarkers of diabetes years before symptoms appear. He is supervised by Assistant Professor <b>Hannes Röst</b> in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research.</p> <p>Using machine learning and other advanced methods, Gupta is developing tools for tracking hundreds of protein species in blood plasma over long periods of time. Such methods would open the door to molecular diagnostics on a more granular level than what is currently possible with blood analyses that typically look at a handful of protein markers at a time.</p> <p>Collaborating with personalized medicine pioneer Michael Snyder at Stanford University, Gupta has access to a unique dataset comprising a thousand blood samples collected from 100 prediabetic individuals every three months over five years, and is in the process of identifying early molecular signs of diabetes.</p> <p>“The Dorrington award means a lot to me,” says Gupta. “It’s a great recognition for my work especially in this year of the pandemic when I didn’t get as much chance to interact with my co-workers and bounce off ideas.”</p> <h3><a href="https://www.thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/news/2021-dorrington-awards-recognize-graduate-research-drug-discovery-precision-medicine-and-cancer">Read the Donnelly Centre story</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-source field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Donnelly Centre</div> <div class="field field--name-field-top-story-hub-page- field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Top Story (Hub page)</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 09 Apr 2021 12:43:45 +0000 lanthierj 169005 at Mojca Mattiazzi Ušaj and Shuailong Zhang win Donnelly Centre Research Excellence Awards /celebrates/mojca-mattiazzi-u-aj-and-shuailong-zhang-win-donnelly-centre-research-excellence-awards <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Mojca Mattiazzi Ušaj and Shuailong Zhang win Donnelly Centre Research Excellence Awards</span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-10-30T08:00:50-04:00" title="Friday, October 30, 2020 - 08:00" class="datetime">Fri, 10/30/2020 - 08:00</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-people/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-campus/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-and-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/donnelly-centre-research-excellence-awards" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre Research Excellence Awards</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/women-stem" hreflang="en">Women in STEM</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-image-orientation field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">landscape</div> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/media/Mojca%20Mattiazzi%20Usaj%20and%20Shuailong%20Zhang.jpg" width="750" height="500" alt="Mojca Mattiazzi Ušaj and Shuailong Zhang"> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Research associate <strong>Mojca Mattiazzi Ušaj</strong> and postdoctoral fellow <strong>Shuailong Zhang</strong> have received Donnelly Centre Research Excellence Awards for harnessing artificial intelligence for the advancement of cell biology research and regenerative medicine, respectively.</p> <p>The annual awards recognize outstanding postgraduate researchers in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research whose projects cross scientific field boundaries.</p> <p>Working with geneticists, cell biologists and computational scientists, Mattiazzi Ušaj has created an automated pipeline for extracting from microscopy images hundreds of measurements of internal organelles from individual cells to assess how genetic mutations or drug compounds affect cellular health.</p> <p>“In research you have more downs than ups so this recognition is very motivating,“ said Mattiazzi Ušaj, who works in the labs of <strong>Charles Boone</strong> and <strong>Brenda Andrews</strong>, both professors of molecular genetics. “I’m very fortunate to have had great colleagues and collaborators contributing to my research, and amazing support from my advisers.”</p> <p>Zhang, who has an engineering background, has teamed up with stem cell scientists and bioengineers to develop AI-powered microrobots that can find and collect the stem cells from brain tissue for applications in regenerative medicine.</p> <p>“This award is important to me because it recognizes my contribution in developing this technology,” says Zhang, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of <strong>Aaron Wheeler,</strong> a professor of chemistry. “But the award is not just for me – it is also for everyone else on our team working on this project.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-source field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Donnelly Centre</div> <div class="field field--name-field-top-story-hub-page- field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Top Story (Hub page)</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 30 Oct 2020 12:00:50 +0000 lanthierj 166201 at Three University Professors elected members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences /celebrates/three-university-professors-elected-members-us-national-academy-sciences <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Three University Professors elected members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences</span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-05-14T14:23:29-04:00" title="Thursday, May 14, 2020 - 14:23" class="datetime">Thu, 05/14/2020 - 14:23</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-people/faculty" hreflang="en">Faculty</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-campus/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/department-ecology-evolutionary-biology" hreflang="en">Department of Ecology &amp; Evolutionary Biology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-and-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-image-orientation field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">landscape</div> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/media/NAS-group.jpg" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item">(L-R) Lewis Kay, Brenda Andrews and Spencer Barrett</div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Three ؿζSM professors have been elected international members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.</p> <p><a href="http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/2020-nas-election.html">The U.S. National Academy of Sciences</a> is a society of distinguished scientists, which was established by an Act of Congress and signed by American president Abraham Lincoln in 1863. They provide independent and objective advice to the U.S. government on matters related to science and technology. &nbsp;</p> <p>Election to the academy represents one of the highest honours awarded to a scientist worldwide and is in recognition of distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Just 26 international researchers received the recognition this year, joining a total of 501 scientists from countries outside the U.S. to hold the honour.&nbsp;</p> <p>Each of the three new members from U of T holds<a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-professors/"> the title of University Professor, a</a> distinction that recognizes outstanding&nbsp;scholarly achievement and pre-eminence in a particular field of knowledge. They are:</p> <ul> <li><a href="/celebrates/brenda-andrews-elected-us-national-academy-sciences">University Professor <strong>Brenda Andrews</strong>, the Charles H. Best Chair of Medical Research</a> in U of T’s Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research and a professor in the department of molecular genetics in the Faculty of Medicine</li> <li><a href="/celebrates/spencer-barrett-elected-us-national-academy-sciences">University Professor Emeritus <strong>Spencer Barrett</strong> </a>of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</li> <li><a href="/celebrates/lewis-kay-elected-member-us-national-academy-sciences">University Professor <strong>Lewis Kay</strong> </a>of the departments of molecular genetics and biochemistry in the Faculty of Medicine and the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-source field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">UTC</div> <div class="field field--name-field-top-story-hub-page- field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Top Story (Hub page)</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 14 May 2020 18:23:29 +0000 lanthierj 164499 at Three graduate students receive Jennifer Dorrington Award /celebrates/three-graduate-students-receive-jennifer-dorrington-award <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Three graduate students receive Jennifer Dorrington Award</span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>s.anderson</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-02-24T08:23:46-05:00" title="Monday, February 24, 2020 - 08:23" class="datetime">Mon, 02/24/2020 - 08:23</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-people/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-campus/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-and-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/ibbme" hreflang="en">IBBME</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/jennifer-dorrington-award" hreflang="en">Jennifer Dorrington Award</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-image-orientation field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">landscape</div> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/media/group.jpg" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item">Sanna Masud, Nil Sahin and Benjamin Kingston (photo of Kingston by Qin Dai) </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Graduate students <strong>Sanna Masud</strong>, <strong>Nil Sahin</strong> and <strong>Benjamin Kingston</strong> are the winners of the 2020 Jennifer Dorrington Award, which recognizes outstanding students in the Faculty of Medicine who are doing research in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research.</p> <p>“These three winners are doing some of the most innovative research in biology, which has already revealed important new insights and has the potential to improve patient lives,” says <strong>Gary Bader</strong>, a ؿζSM professor of molecular genetics and computer science, and the chair of the award committee.</p> <p>Masud’s research is shedding new light on the cellular basis of Barth syndrome, a rare genetic disorder for which there is currently no treatment. Sahin is&nbsp;developing AI-powered computer vision tools to reveal gene function from cell microscopy images. And Kingston is mapping tumours in three dimensions to help the development of targeted therapies.</p> <p>Established in 2007 by the Dorrington family, the annual award is named after <a href="https://www.thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/news/donors-meet-students-thriving-their-gift"><strong>Jennifer Dorrington</strong>, who carried out pioneering work on ovarian physiology</a> in U of T’s Banting and Best department of medical research, which was later integrated into the Donnelly Centre.</p> <h3><a href="http://www.thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/news/2020-dorrington-awards-recognize-graduate-research-rare-diseases-computer-vision-and-3d-cancer">Read the Donnelly Centre&nbsp;story</a></h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-source field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Donnelly Centre</div> <div class="field field--name-field-top-story-hub-page- field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Top Story (Hub page)</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 24 Feb 2020 13:23:46 +0000 s.anderson 162880 at Zheng Luo named 2020 Charles H. Best Fellow /celebrates/zheng-luo-named-2020-charles-h-best-fellow <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Zheng Luo named 2020 Charles H. Best Fellow </span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-type/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-02-12T11:42:38-05:00" title="Wednesday, February 12, 2020 - 11:42" class="datetime">Wed, 02/12/2020 - 11:42</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-people/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-campus/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-awards-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/celebrates/awards-tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-and-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-image-orientation field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">landscape</div> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/media/IMG_9400%20ok-2.jpg" width="750" height="500" alt="headshot of zheng luo"> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Zheng Luo</strong> has been named the 2020 Charles H. Best Fellow – a prestigious appointment awarded annually to an outstanding postdoctoral student&nbsp;in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research.</p> <p>Named after <strong>Charles H. Best</strong>, who co-discovered insulin in 1921 as a young graduate at the ؿζSM, the fellowship provides support for postdoctoral researchers who have the potential to become leaders in their fields.</p> <p>“It’s a great privilege to be recognized by the Best fellowship committee,” says Luo. “The award will help me fulfill my research goals and it’s a great boost at this stage of my career.”</p> <p>Luo joined Professor <strong>Ben Blencowe</strong>’s lab in April 2019. His work, which &nbsp;focuses on alternative splicing, a process allowing cells to generate vastly more protein variants from a limited number of protein-coding genes, could lead to new therapies for autism, schizophrenia and other brain disorders.</p> <p>“While we and others have worked on the splicing code for many years, the rules governing the fidelity of this process remain poorly understood,” says Blencowe. “Zheng is applying a new approach to this problem that I believe holds tremendous promise.”</p> <h3><a href="http://www.thedonnellycentre.utoronto.ca/news/meet-zheng-luo-2020-best-fellow">Read the Donelley Centre article</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-source field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">UTC</div> <div class="field field--name-field-top-story-hub-page- field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Top Story (Hub page)</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 12 Feb 2020 16:42:38 +0000 lanthierj 162635 at