Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology office will be closed for the holidays, from noon Monday, December 24, 2018 and will re-open Wednesday, January 2, 2019.
A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Undergraduate 3MT Winners, 2018
Congratulations to the Undergraduate Biochemistry 3MT winners.
The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department along with the BPP club hosted our 4th annual undergraduate biochemistry 3-minute thesis (3MT) event on November 15. Students who are currently in biochemistry directed studies (BIOC 448) or biochemistry honours thesis (BIOC 449) were invited to present the concept behind their research projects to an audience of undergraduate students and a panel of faculty judges. From the 13 presenters 3 award winners were chosen, a people choice winner was selected by the audience and another 2 selected by the graduate student panel.
Peoples Choice Winner: Jeremy Soroka “Analysis of Nedd4 Interactions via WW domains”
Panel Winner: Dij Mannar “Characterization of the human Elongator complex assembly mechanism”
Panel Winner: Che-Min Lee Che-Min Lee “Elucidating the Pathway to Cancer’s Invisibility Cloak, PD-L1
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and BC Children’s Hospital present – Beata Mickiewicz
“Metabolomics of sepsis: from metabolic data to clinical diagnosis, triage and mortality prediction”, by Dr. Beata Mickiewicz, candidate for Faculty Position in Department of Biochemistry and BCCHRI.
Despite of an extraordinary development in modern medicine sepsis remains the most
life-threating condition in critically ill patients causing millions of deaths around the world. It has been estimated that mortality rate of sepsis is much higher than the mortality rate resulted from HIV/AIDS, prostate cancer and breast cancer combined. Detecting sepsis at an early stage and rapid initiation of appropriate treatment is crucial and can have a significant impact on patient’s outcome. Therefore, it is of high importance to identify new biomarkers and to advance diagnosis, triage and prognosis of sepsis in clinical settings.
Tuesday, November 7, 2018 at 10:30 am
LSC 1416, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, UBC
Michael Carlson – Doctoral Exam
“Development of Methods of Study of Membrane Proteins in the Absence of Detergents,” by Michael Carlson, PhD Candidate in Duong Lab.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018 at 9:00 am in Room 2017, Anthropology and Sociology Building, 6303 NW Marine Drive, V6T 1Z1.
Simon Sau Yin Law – Doctoral Exam
“Structural insights into Inhibitory Mechanisms of Cathepsin K”, by Simon Law, PhD Candidate, Bromme Lab.
Friday, November 30, 2018 at 9:30 am in LSC 4510, 2350 Health Science Mall.
November Graduation
Congratulations Biochemistry graduates!! UBC will be conferring Biochemistry degrees on Friday, November 30th at 9:00 a.m. in the Chan Centre. Fall 2018 schedule
Stefanie Novakowski – Doctoral Exam
“Delivery of messenger RNA to platelets using lipid nanoparticles,” by Stefanie Novakowski, PhD Candidate, Kastrup Lab.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018 at 12:30 pm 1416, LSC, 2350 Health Sciences Mall.
BMBDG Seminar: PhD Exit Seminar – Stefanie Novakowski
“Delivery of mRNA to platelets using lipid nanoparticles”, by Stefanie Novakowski, PhD Candidate, Kastrup Lab.
Platelets are small, anucleate cells that circulate in the blood stream and mediate hemostasis, inflammation, and angiogenesis. Platelet transfusions are used to treat active bleeding as well as to prevent bleeding during thrombocytopenia or prior to surgery. A method for genetically modifying platelets might enhance their efficacy and lead to new therapeutic uses for platelets. As platelets are anucleate, directly modifying platelets requires messenger RNA (mRNA). Attempts to transfect platelets with mRNA have not been successful. To determine whether lipid-based materials could be used as mRNA transfection agents for platelets, the ability of four different classes of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to deliver mRNA to platelets under various storage conditions was compared, and activation of platelets was quantified. Finally, the ability of platelets to translate and release the mRNA was assessed. Two approaches were taken for mRNA delivery. In one approach, mRNA was synthesized inside of liposomes, indicating proteins, DNA, and small molecules can be delivered to platelets using LNPs. In the second approach, in vitro transcribed mRNA was directly delivered to platelets using icLNPs and cLNPs, and mRNA delivered to platelets using cLNPs was released in microparticles. These were the first examples of direct delivery of mRNA to platelets, and the first step towards creating genetically modified platelets. While protein synthesis in LNP-treated platelets was not detected, optimizing the LNP formulations used here may lead to a transfection agent for platelets that allows for de novo synthesis of exogenous proteins in the future.
Monday, December 10th, 2018, 3:00 pm, LSC#3, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, UBC
BMBDG Seminar – Timothy Audas
“Physiological Amyloid Aggregation: A Novel Stress Response Pathway”, by Timothy Audas, Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Canada Research Chair-Tier 2: Functional RNA and Cellular Stress, Simon Fraser University
Exposure to harsh environmental conditions requires the widespread re-programming of molecular networks to maintain homeostasis and ensure cell viability. My lab studies a novel post-translational program, which responds to common stressors (i.e., extracellular acidosis, heat shock, and proteotoxic stress) by inducing the macromolecular formation of subnuclear aggregates. Interestingly, these structures possess the same amyloid-like characteristics as neurodegenerative plaques, suggesting that a better understanding of this stress-induced aggregation may shed light on the pathological events associated with common neurological disorders (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and prion-based diseases). Here, I will discuss our work mapping the proteomic composition of these foci and uncovering the molecular mechanisms associated with this form of physiological amyloid aggregation.
Monday, November 26th, 2018 at 3:00 pm, LSC#3, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, UBC
Host Dr. Cristian Kastrup
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and BC Children’s Hospital present – Robert Sander Jansen
“Casting Light on Metabolic Dark Matter: Functional Gene Annotation using untargeted Metabolomics”, by Robert Sander Jansen, PhD candidate for a Faculty Position in Department of Biochemistry and BCCHRI.
Robert Jansen studies the function of uncharacterized proteins using untargeted metabolomics. He obtained his PhD from Utrecht University, where he developed quantitative LC-MS/MS methods for the detection of therapeutic nucleotide analogs in white blood cells. During postdoctoral research at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam, he applied untargeted LC-MS metabolomics to discover the endogenous substrates and physiological functions of human ABC-transporters. Currently at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, he focusses on essential proteins of unknown function in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis.
Tuesday, November 20, 2018 at 10:30 am
LSI, Room 1416, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, UBC