The role of extracellular lysophospholipids in regulating skeletal muscle energy metabolism, insulin signaling and function shall be examined under healthy conditions and during obesity-diabetes. This will be accomplished by utilizing cell culture models (C2C12 cells), as well as skeletal muscle explants and primary skeletal myotubes from mice. Insulin signaling will be examined using immunoblotting analysis. Energy metabolism will be studied using respirometry. Muscle function will be examined by assessing sarcomere shortening. these studies are designed to shed light on the contribution of lysophospholipids to muscle metabolism and the development of obesity/diabetes-related insulin resistance.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: My research focuses on understanding molecular mechanisms of metabolic disorders. Specifically, I am investigating the role of lipid metabolism and signalling in the development of obesity and diabetes-related comorbidities including muscle insulin resistance.
Student roles: The student will conduct cell culture experiments and experiments wtih explants and primary cells in the laboratory. The student will be involved in designing experiments, executing experiments, and analysing data. It is expected that the student presents his/her findings at lab meetings.
Skills required: The student should have a solid background in cell biology, molecular biology, and energy metabolism. Prior experience wtih cell culture and immunoblotting analysis is desirable.
2. Investigation of respiratory neuronal networks involved in the control of respiration
Supervisor: Silvia Pagliardini
University: University of Alberta (Edmonton campus)
Breathing in mammals is most fragile during sleep, in particular during REM sleep. Data from our laboratory suggest that expiratory activity may be critical in both neonatal and adult period to promote respiratory pacing and provide an additional drive to weak inspiration, in order to prevent breathing irregularities and strengthen inspiratory activity.
The objective of the this project is to investigate neuronal structures that control the activity of the brainstem netwrok oscillators that control breathing. By means of a combination of pharmacology, optogenetics and chemogenetics, we will identify neuromodulatory inputs, and manipulate their function in order to determine the role of respiratory neruons in control conditions and in rodent models of sleep disordered breathing.
The student will be responsible for the surgical procedures in rodents, acquisition of data, data analysis, and elaboration of the results. The student will aquire expertise in survival surgeries, stereotaxic injection, animal handling, EEG/EMG instrumentation, and optogenetic techniques. She/He will also gain experience on data analysis of EEG and respiratory variables in anesthetized rodents.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: Research conducted in my laboratory aim to gain an understanding of the neuronal mechanisms that control breathing and affect its function during sleep when the majority of respiratory disorders of central origin occur. We are currently interested in delineating the function of a region in the brainstem that is crucial for the generation of expiratory activity. Its contribution to ventilation in health and disease is yet not clear. With state of the art technologies we aim to provide a better understanding of the function of this structure and the networks that influence its activity.
Student roles: The student will be responsible for the surgical procedures, acquisition of data, data analysis, and elaboration of the results. The student will aquire expertise in survival surgeries, stereotaxic injection, animal handling, EEG/EMG instrumentation, and optogenetic techniques. She/He will also gain experience on data analysis of EEG and respiratory variables in anesthetized rodents.
Skills required: - Solid knowledge of general neuroscience, neurophysiology and respiratory physiology - Previous experience with animal handling, and possibly, with surgical procedures in rodents is preferred.
3. Modeling the dispersion of antibiotic resistance by incorporating new gene sequencing techniques
The spread of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) through human communities in due in part to their complex tranfer between human and animals through fertilization and irrigation of crops, and food production and consumption. Understanding this dissemination is difficult due to the limitations in the number of samples that can be process by current technologies and their sensitivities.
This project aims at developing new PCR amplification of resistance genes that will subsequently be sequenced through high-throughput sequencing technology (e.g., PacBio, Illumina, Nanopore) and then interfacing these results with a mathematical model assessing the risk of dissemination between humans, animals, and the environment. The project is deployed in a region covering two watersheds outside of Montreal. We will obtain samples of hospital and municipal wastewater, animal manure, retail meats, and surface water. Through the analysis, we should be able to evaluate the possibility of transfer of resistance genes between the various sampled environments.
The project is based on a wet lab approach. It will include assisting in gathering and processing samples, doing PCR analyses, and possibly assist with bioinformatics.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: This project focuses on the development of new molecular biology surveillance technologies for antibiotic resistance in wastewater, animal manure, and surface water. Our approach combines high-throughput sequencing of PCR amplified resistance genes and mathematical modeling.
Ultimately, the goal is to improve the risk assessment and the understanding of antimicrobial dissemination through the environment.
Student roles: The main role of the student will be to assist graduate students in the wet-lab. Tasks will include: preparing media, culturing bacterial strains, extracting DNA, performing PCR and qPCR experiments, and preparing samples for high-throughput sequencing. The intern will be trained by graduate students, and they will work in close collaboration with them. The intern will also be introduced and perform in part bioinformatics analyses.
The intern will have to enter the data in Excel workbooks and generate graphs to observe trends. By the end of the internship, the intern will write a report and will make a short oral presentation in front of the research group.
Skills required: The intern should be interested detailed and precise laboratory work. This will include pipetting small volumes of water, and precisely weighing solids. Thus, they should have some laboratory experience, at least through university courses. The intern must also be interested to work with microbes and with nucleic acid (DNA and RNA) samples. Such samples require extra care to maintain their integrity, including working on ice with very clean equipment. Thus, patience for detailed work is a necessity.
Familiarity with basic computer software such as Excel and Words is necessary.
4. Modeling the emission of greenhouse gases from biological wastewater treatment plants by considering the immigration of microbial populations from the influent.
Generally speaking, mathematical models of activated sludge wastewater treatment processes do not consider the microbial population entering the reactor with the influent. Such microbial immigration can affect considerably the average activity of bacteria in the reactors, which may influence the amount of N2O leaking from the nitrogen transformation pathways (nitrification and denitrification).
This project will use PCR amplification of functional genes involved in nitrification and denitrification to monitor these populations by high-throughput sequencing technology (e.g., PacBio, Illumina, Nanopore). Furthermore, PCR coupled with sequencing and qPCR of the mRNA of the same genes will be used to assess the activities of nitrifiers and denitrifiers. The project is based on a wet lab approach. It will include assisting in gathering and processing samples, doing PCR analyses, and possibly assist with bioinformatics.
The project will be deployed at two full-scale wastewater treatment plants. The novel information on the contribution of immigration will be used to inform the calibration of a mathematical model predicting the emission of N2O from the entire plant.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: This project focuses on the use of molecular biology techniques (DNA and RNA based) and metagenomics to characterize the populations of nitrifiers and denitrifiers entering activated sludge biological wastewater treatment plants and to assess their activities. These populations are responsible to produce nitrous oxide (N2O) the main greenhouse gas produced during aerobic treatment of wastewater. This new microbiological information will be integrated with mechanistic models predicting the production and emission of N2O from the treatment process.
Student roles: The main role of the student will be to assist graduate students in the wet-lab. Tasks will include: preparing media, culturing bacterial strains, extracting DNA, performing PCR and qPCR experiments, and preparing samples for high-throughput sequencing. The intern will be trained by graduate students, and they will work in close collaboration with them. The intern will also be introduced and perform in part bioinformatics analyses.
The intern will have to enter the data in Excel workbooks and generate graphs to observe trends. By the end of the internship, the intern will write a report and will make a short oral presentation in front of the research group.
Skills required: The intern should be interested detailed and precise laboratory work. This will include pipetting small volumes of water, and precisely weighing solids. Thus, they should have some laboratory experience, at least through university courses. The intern must also be interested to work with microbes and with nucleic acid (DNA and RNA) samples. Such samples require extra care to maintain their integrity, including working on ice with very clean equipment. Thus, patience for detailed work is a necessity.
Familiarity with basic computer software such as Excel and Words is necessary.
5. Retinal development and colour vision in fishes
Supervisor: Inigo Novales Flamarique
University: Simon Fraser University (Burnaby campus)
The project will examine retinal development in various fish species by electron microscopy and immunohistochemical markers. We are interested in understanding how photoreceptors develop and establish mosaic formations.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: I study colour and polarization vision in fishes. This research will examine the development of the retina of various fish species by immunohistochemistry, light and electron microscopy to characterize the formation of photoreceptor structures.
Student roles: (1) histological preparation of samples (2)analysis of sections under light microscope
Skills required: The project requires a hard working individual who can work independently or as part of a team.
6. Synthesis and Testing of New Alzheimer's Therapeutics (1)
Supervisor: Tim Storr
University: Simon Fraser University (Burnaby campus)
This project is part of a wider research program to target metal ion imbalances in the body, a pathology common to several neurodegenerative diseases. Metal ion imbalances are hypothesized to contribute to disease progression, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the specific focus of this work. Evidence of oxidative stress is widespread in AD, and the cause of oxidative stress has been attributed to a number of factors including Fenton-type processes involving redox-active metal ions (Fe, Cu). Amyloid plaques, a disease hallmark, have been described as metallic sinks because remarkably high concentrations of Fe, Cu, and Zn have been found within these deposits in AD brain tissue. While the role of metal ions in the etiology of AD remains to be determined, targeting metal ions present in amyloid plaque deposits is a viable therapeutic strategy. In this project we plan to synthesize a number of ligands and metal complexes to study their disease-modifying properties. We also plan to complex these ligands with both Cu and Zn to better understand their metal coordinating properties under biological conditions. The ability of these ligands to interact with both the amyloid-beta peptide as well as tau proteins will also be investigated.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: Medicinal inorganic chemistry can be divided into two main categories, (1) drugs that target metal ions in some form, and (2) metal-based drugs where the central metal ion is essential for the clinical application. Due to our increased understanding of biological processes and disease physiology, new opportunities exist for the design of metal-based and metal-binding agents. We are particularly interested in the application of medicinal inorganic chemistry to the diagnosis and therapy of neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. The increased incidence of neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s, and the lack of effective treatment strategies, makes this a critical research area. We
Student roles: The student will work closely with graduate students to enhance their training experience while participating in this program. The student will synthesize compounds in our new synthetic lab at SFU. This will include setting up and monitoring reactions and purification by recrystallization, column chromatography, and HPLC. Characterization will include 1H and 13C NMR, mass spectrometry, X-ray crystallography, IR, fluorescence, and elemental analysis. The student will also investigate the interaction of the synthesized compounds with biological molecules. The student will keep detailed records of their experiments and participate in weekly meetings to discuss results and research plans.
Skills required: The student should have a background in Chemistry, ideally with synthetic experience. We are looking for an enthusiastic researcher to join our team. We will train the student in a variety of synthetic and analytical techniques at SFU. Participation in biological studies at SFU and elsewhere in Vancouver is possible depending on interest.