Biochemistry News Archives
2011 2012
2004
2011
Dec 2011
The Oct-Dec issue of the Biochemistry newsletter 'The Active Site' was sent out.
Publications this month are from the labs and collaborators of Dr. Peter Ainsworth (hemochromatosis screening practices), Dr. Fred Dick (DNA damage and E2F1), Dr. Robert Hudson (synthesis of protected PNA monomers), Dr. Rob Hegele (TMEM237 in Joubert Syndrome Related Disorder), Drs. Rob Hegele and Murray Huff (hypertriglyceridemia), Dr. Gilles Lajoie (PEAKS DB: database search for peptide identification), Dr. Victoria Siu (X-linked heterotaxy), Dr. Tony Rupar (transcobalamin deficiency; Letter to Editors), and Dr. Lars Konermann (polymer chains in charged water droplets).
Alister Gould, supervised by Dr. Brian Shilton, will give his PhD public lecture on 16 Dec at 1:30 pm in 384 MSB. The title of his thesis is "ATPase regulation in the maltose transporter."
The Biochemistry annual Christmas party was held on 6 Dec. Check out photos from the event.
Nov 2011
This month's publications are from the labs and collaborators of Dr. James Choy (intrinsically disordered proteins), Dr. Greg Gloor (vaginal microbiome and gene array), Dr. Robert Hudson (peptide nucleic acids anti-miRs) (ParaCEST MRI contrast agents), Dr. Lars Konermann (mass spectrometry of bacteriorhodopsin) (structure of peptide ions using mass spectrometry), Dr. David Litchfield (down-regulation of EGFR and HER-2 by triazenes), Dr. Susan Meakin (FRS2 and FRS3 in prostate cancer), and Dr. Eva Turley (imaging using HA-based probes).
Congrats to Chris Hughes (Dr. Lajoie's lab) for receiving a prestigious EMBL Interdisciplinary Postdocs Award.
The 22nd of November marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of UWO's Molecular Biology Laboratories (MBL), located next to the Medical Sciences Bldg.
Oct 2011
This month's publications are from the labs and collaborators of Drs. Rodenhiser/Berube/Mann (Canadian Conference on Epigenetics), Dr. Gabe DiMattia (AKT activity in ovarian cancer spheroids), Dr. Rob Hegele (plasma triglycerides ), Dr. Lars Konermann (dissociation of protein complexes), Dr. Shawn Li (DomPep Prediction Method), Dr. Tony Rupar (arylsulfatase A deficiency), Dr. Caroline Schild-Poulter (Ku and DNA damage), Dr. Gary Shaw (dehydratase WcbK, reductase WcaG), and Dr. Eva Turley (chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 - review).
Maxim Seferovic, supervised by Dr. Victor Han and Dr. Madhu Gupta, will give his PhD public lecture on
6 Oct at
1:30 pm in 384 MSB.
The title of his thesis is "Maternal and fetal plasma proteome changes in fetal growth restriction."
Sept 2011
Check us out on Facebook: "Department of Biochemistry - University of Western Ontario."
The July-Sept issue of the Biochemistry newsletter 'The Active Site' was released.
Ben Cook, supervised by Dr. Gary Shaw, will give his PhD public lecture on 26 Sept at 1:30 pm in MSB 384. The title of his thesis is "Role of HIP2 Enzyme Interactions in Ubiquitination."
Check out these recent publications from the labs and collaborators of Drs. Chris Brandl/Megan Davey (synthetic kinase in yeast), Dr. Harvey Goldberg (osteopontin), Drs. Harvey Goldberg/Graeme Hunter/Gilles Lajoie (matrix Gla protein), Dr. Robert Hegele (statin adverse effects)(apolipoprotein B mutation), Drs. Robert Hegele/Victoria Siu/Tony Rupar (endocrine cerebro-osteodysplasia), Dr. Robert Hudson (chemiluminescence of deoxycytidine analogues) (Azo-based PNA monomer), Dr. Shawn Li (neuronal fate), Dr. David Litchfield (protein kinase inhibitors, CK2)(protein kinase inhibitors), Drs. David Litchfield/Brian Shilton (quinone reductase 2), Dr. Geoff Pickering (collagen cleavage needed for fibrotic repair after heart attack), Dr. Tony Rupar (pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency and epilepsy)(Menkes disease, epilepsy)(urea cycle disorders), Dr. Gary Shaw (S100B, dopamine D2 receptor)(S100A10-annexin A2 complex), Dr. Walter Siqueira (saliva proteolysis and diagnostics)(salivary proteins)(salivary proteome), and Dr. Joe Torchia (BRCA1 gene regulation by SRC3/53BP1).
Congrats to Dr. Eva Turley for receiving funding from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation-Ontario Region (CBCF). Featured in Western News.
Aug 2011
Congrats to Drs. Gilles Lajoie, David Litchfield, and Shawn Li for receiving CFI funding. Featured in Western News.
In Memoriam - Dr. William (Bill) McMurray (former chair of Biochemistry Dept.).
The Poster Session for Biochemistry Undergraduate Summer Students took place from 10-11:30 am on 19 August in Biochemistry's 3rd floor hallways in MSB. Congrats to all presenters for great posters. First place winners: Mandi Schmidt and Heather Whitehead. Second place winners: Jared Gleberzon and Niyati Malkani.
Heather Whitehead Mandi Schmidt
Niyati Malkani Samantha Kwok and Leah Sinai
The Biochemistry website continues to evolve to meet user needs. In response to input from the Biochemistry community, Phase II of annual website improvements were completed. Improvements included the following:
- new banner at top of each page
- revised drop-down menus
- rotating pictures on main page
- more photos throughout website
- separate webpages for post-doctoral information and recruitment
- revised main pages for undergraduate and graduate programs with emphasis on career options
- inspiring video about the study of Biochemistry
- dynamic videos of our students promoting our Biochemistry programs and Western
- testimonials from our students about why they study Biochemistry
Check out these recent publications from the labs and collaborators of Drs. David Edgell/Greg Gloor (homing endonucleases), Dr. Mellissa Mann (embryonic imprinting), Dr. Gilles Lajoie (proteomic analysis of extracellular matrices), Dr. Rob Hegele (hypertension), Dr. Peter Rogan (FISH localization of genomic rearrangements), Dr. Nathalie Berube (ATR-X minireview), and Dr. Geoff Pickering (vascular smooth muscle cell differentiation)(vascular effects of estradiol and aldosterone), and Dr. David Edgell (homing endonuclease I-BmoI). The publication in Mol Cytogenet (FISH localization of genomic rearrangements) from Dr. Peter Rogan's lab has received a 'Highly Accessed' ranking.
Chris Johansen, supervised by Dr. Rob Hegele, will give his PhD public lecture on Thursday 11 Aug at 11 am
in MSB 384. His thesis title is 'Elucidating the genetic determinants of the archetypal complex phenotype hypertriglyceridemia.'
July 2011
Group photo of the department's 2011 summer students (courtesy of Melita Hayes):
Check out these publications from the labs and collaborators of Dr. Robert Hegele (adipose tissue volume), Dr. Tony Rupar (MTHFR deficiency/infantile diabetes), Dr. Gary Shaw (HPV 16 E7)(enzymes WcbK/WcaG), Dr. Mellissa Mann (genomic imprinting), Dr. Ken Yeung (capillary electrophoresis), Drs. David Litchfield/Greg Gloor (CK2/caspase), Dr. Robert Hudson (contrast agents), Drs. Eric Ball/Stan Dunn (SLP-2/cardiolipin), Dr. Fred Dick (E2F/adenovirus E1A), Dr. Robert Hudson (N-formylation), Dr. Lars Konermann (protein folding), and Dr. David Litchfield (Preview Article: kinome).
Atoosa Rezvanpour, supervised by Dr. Gary Shaw, will give her PhD public lecture on Tuesday 19 July at 9:30 am in MSB 384. The title of her thesis is "Structural role of S100 proteins in membrane repair."
Kieran Ritchie, supervised by Dr. Nathalie Berube, will give his PhD Public Lecture on Friday 15 July in MSB 384 at 9:30 am. Thesis title is 'The role of the Snf2 chromatin remodelling protein ATRX in mitotic cell division and mammalian cortical neurogenesis.'
June 2011
Convocation Day - 16 June (more photos)
Congratulations to all of our graduating students! The Department of Biochemistry held a Graduation Awards Ceremony, followed by a lunch reception. Check out the list of award winners recognized for their achievements.
Congrats to Dr. Caroline Schild-Poulter and Dr. Fred Dick for receiving CIHR Operating Grants.
The Apr-Jun issue of 'The Active Site' was released.
Check out these publications from the labs and collaborators of Dr. Gary Shaw (Parkin), Dr. Robert Hudson (cytosine mimic tags in siRNAs)(peptide nucleic acid conjugates), Dr. Robert Hegele (CREB-H/triglycerides) (genetic testing), Dr. Victoria Siu (Pitt-Hopkins syndrome), Dr. Eva Turley (RHAMM), Dr. Walter Siqueira (silver nitrate in dental resins)(cavity detection), Dr. Lars Konermann (conformers of A-beta oligomers), and Dr. David Litchfield (CK2/PIN1). The latter was featured in the Journal of Cell Science's 'In This Issue.'
Congrats to Amer Youssef for participating in the CIHR National Student Research Poster Competition (featured in Schulich News).
Dr. David Litchfield has been awarded the Division of Experimental Oncology Award of Excellence in Research and Teaching. Nice work! Dr. Gabe DiMattia is seen here presenting the award.
Matt Cecchini and Courtney Coschi won presentation and poster awards, respectively, at Oncology’s Research Day. Congrats!
Giovanni Poggenpoel, a summer student in Dr. David Litchfield's lab, won the "WHY BIOCHEMISTRY? DRAW."
Congrats to Dr. Rogan as co-PI and Dr. Mercer (UWO Computer Science) as PI for their successful NSERC Engage Grant.
Dr. Chris Brandl is featured in Western's Alumni Gazette. Also mentioned is Outreach Science Ontario, founded by Dr. Brandl, Dr. Greg Gloor, and Judy Penchuk.
Brenna Market-Velker, supervised by Dr. Mellissa Mann and Dr. Andy Watson, will give her PhD public lecture on 14 June at 9 am in MSB 384. The title of her thesis is "The Effects of Superovulation and Embryo Culture on Genomic Imprinting."
Matthew Cecchini, supervised by Dr. Fred Dick, will give his PhD public lecture on 14 June at 1 pm in MSB 384. The title of his thesis is "Dissecting the Molecular Role of Distinct Binding Interfaces on the Retinoblastoma Tumor Suppressor in Growth Control and Tumorigenesis."
May 2011
Dr. Peter Rogan's lab presented at the 6th Canadian Student Conference on Biomedical Computing and Engineering
(CSCBCE'2011) that ran from 26-28 May at UWO.
Congrats to Dr. Kristi Wood for receiving her MD degree from UWO on 20 May. Kristi is a former MSc student of Dr. Stan Dunn.
Check out these publications involving the labs of Drs. Megan Davey and Chris Brandl (Mcm2); Drs. Rob Hegele and Murray Huff (hypertriglyceridemia); Dr. Lars Konermann (nanodroplets)(membrane protein folding); Dr. Geoff Pickering (vascular smooth muscle cells); Dr. David Haniford (H-NS, Tn10/IS10 transposition); Drs. Harvey Goldberg and Graeme Hunter (calcium oxalate crystal growth); Dr. Gabe DiMattia (stanniocalcin 2/PERK); Drs. Brandl, Lajoie, Litchfield, Shaw, and Shilton (PIN1 inhibitor); Dr. Fred Dick (PERSPECTIVE Article: Hippo path/DREAM/Rb); Drs. Peter Ainsworth/Peter Rogan (BRCA1 and BRCA2 splicing); Dr. Robert Hegele (Correspondence: rare variants) (Review on hypertriglyceridemia); Dr. David Litchfield (CK2, JAK-STAT); and Drs. Gary Shaw/Lars Konermann (S100A11).
The labs and collaborators of Drs. David Litchfield, Greg Gloor, and Shawn Li published a paper in Science Signaling implicating CK2 in caspase signalling. Congrats! Their accomplishment was highlighted in Schulich News.
Dr. Sean Bendall, a former PhD student in Dr. Gilles Lajoie's lab, is first author on a Science publication. Congrats!
Dr. Derek McLachlin and Dr. Peter Rogan participated in UWO's Discovery Day, a workshop for high school students to explore careers in medicine and sciences.
Welcome to our summer students who started work this May.
Dr. Peter Rogan gave a talk at the International Symposium on Radioinformatics in Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Gilles Lajoie and colleagues, as well as Dr. James Choy and colleagues, have received a UWO Academic Development Fund (ADF) Major Grant. Nice work!
Dr. Walter Siqueira was awarded a CIHR New Investigator Award. Congrats!
Apr 2011
Check out these 2 recent publications involving the labs of Dr. Peter Ainsworth (diabetes, BRCA1/2), Dr. David Edgell (review on self-splicing introns), Dr. Hong Ling (pol iota), Dr. Robert Hegele (review of sortilin in cholesterol metabolism), Lars Konermann (binding affinities using ESI-MS), Murray Huff (nobiletin effects on lipoprotein secretion, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance)[Featured in Schulich News and internationally], and Dr. Geoffrey Pickering (FGF9, angiogenesis)[Featured in Schulich News].
Dr. Derek McLachlin has received the Schulich Educator Award, and Dr. David Haniford has received the Dean's Award of Excellence for Faculty (Individual - Research).
Congrats to Dr. Fred Dick for receiving a grant from the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute.
Dr. Greg Gloor has received the Faculty Scholar Award. Congrats!
Mar 2011
The Jan-Mar issue of the Biochemistry newsletter 'The Active Site' was released.
Congrats to Dr. Gilles Lajoie for receiving an NSERC RTI Grant and to Dr. Shawn Li for receiving an NSERC Discovery Grant.
The annual Margaret Moffat Research Day was held from 9 am to 4 pm on 29 March in the Great Hall. Research posters were presented by Schulich graduate students, including many of our students. Joseph Ross and Jennifer Ruizhe Li received awards for their posters. Nice work!
Ruth Webber (retired Secretary in the Biochemistry Office) passed away on Friday March 18th. Visitation was at Forest Lawn Memorial Chapel, 1997 Dundas St. on 22 and 23 March. The service was on 23 March. Donations to the Canadian Cancer Society, Parkinson Society Canada, or a charity of your choice were gratefully acknowledged by the family. The Department made a donation.
Congrats to Dr. Derek McLachlin for winning an Award of Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
Congrats to Dr. Peter Rogan for his successful Western Innovation Fund (WIF) application.
Drs. Nathalie Berube and Mellissa Mann have been promoted to Associate Professors, while Dr. Shawn Li has been promoted to Professor.
Courtney Coschi, a graduate student in Dr. Fred Dick's lab, received a CIHR Institute of Cancer Research Publication Prize for the publication in Genes & Development in 2010.
Check out these publications involving the labs of Dr. Stan Dunn (ATP synthase), Dr. Fred Dick (Rb protein), Dr. Shawn Li (dermcidin, Nck1), Dr. David O'Gorman (PDE inhibitors in ischemia), Dr. Tony Rupar (Glycogen Storage Disease), Drs. Tony Rupar/Victoria Siu (genetic disorder database), and Dr. Mellissa Mann (stem cells).
Feb 2011
Check out these publications involving the labs of Dr.
Victor Han (fetoscopic and ultrasound techniques), Dr. David Rodenhiser (breast cancer), Dr. Madhulika Gupta (vascular regulatory proteins in hypoxic pregancies), Dr. Robert Hegele (lipid modification treatment), Dr. Hong Ling (DNA polymerase iota)(Y-family DNA polymerase), Dr. David Litchfield (CK2 and NHE5), and Dr. Gary Shaw (interaction of CDC34 and ubiquitin).
Congratulations to Dr. Gary Shaw, Kathryn Barber, and Dr. Susan Safadi for having their publication (parkin) featured on Biochemistry's homepage.
Lars Konermann has been awarded
the Florence Bucke Prize in the Faculty of Science for his innovative research contributions. Congrats!
Dr. David Edgell has received a Pilot Project Grant from the Northwest Genome Engineering Consortium. Nice work!
Drs. Derek
McLachlin, Gary Shaw, Greg Gloor, and Lars Konermann have been named to the
University Students' Council 2009/2010 Teaching Honour Roll. Jonathan Meyer
has been recognized for his role as a T.A. Congrats to all!
Jan 2011
Check out these publications involving the labs of Dr. Stan Dunn (SOD1 in ALS), Dr. Gary Shaw (S100A10 conformation), Dr. Eva Turley (review on hyaluronan metabolism), Dr. Hong Ling (soybean mosaic virus P3 protein), Drs. Gilles Lajoie, Harvey Goldberg, and Graeme Hunter (calcium oxalate crystallization), Dr. Shawn Li (protein interaction domains), Dr. Gilles Lajoie (review of proteomics of human embryonic stem cells), Dr. Robert Hegele (HNF1A and type 2 diabetes) (variants associated with height), and Drs. Susan Meakin and Robert Hudson (detection of MRI-PARACEST agents).
Congratulations to Dr. Walter Siquiera for receiving CFI funding; Dr. Robert Hegele and Dr. Mellissa Mann for each receiving CIHR Operating Grants; and Dr. Peter Rogan who is one of the co-investigators on Dr. Greg Zaric's successful CIHR Operating Grant.
Dr. Robert Hegele is part of a team of international researchers who have received funding from the Fondation Leducq - Transatlantic Networks of Excellence Program. Research will involve the study of the molecular genetics of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Congrats to the team! Read more here.
The Research Showcase for Biochemistry Students took place on 21 Jan from 1:30 to 4 pm. The afternoon poster session of research highlights featured our first-year graduate students and 4th-year undergraduate students in project courses. Congratulations to all of the student presenters for a job well done. Thanks to all who helped organize the session.
Last updated by Lynn Weir, Jan 2012.
