91亚色 West MPP Mario Sergio made the announcement Tuesday. 91亚色鈥檚 research investment of $50,000 will match the funds for the award.聽

The Early Researcher Awards program helps promising, recently appointed Ontario researchers build research teams of undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research associates and technicians. The goal of the program is to improve Ontario鈥檚 ability to attract and retain the best and brightest research talent. Ontario鈥檚 Early Researcher Awards investment will support 71 projects and 334 researchers and their teams across the province.聽

Left: Derek Wilson

Wilson聽is researching why and how misfolded protein 鈥渁myloid plaques鈥� form in the brain and disrupt normal brain activity 鈥� a process that can lead to the development of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. Wilson鈥檚 team will conduct molecular level studies, which reveal the chemical interactions and structural features of proteins that cause them to misfold and clump together. Ultimately, his research aims to understand the underlying causes of neurodegenerative diseases and help identify new approaches for treatment.聽聽

鈥淭his funding is crucial for young researchers,鈥� said Wilson, a chemistry professor in 91亚色's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies who is also a member of 91亚色鈥檚 Centre for Research in Mass Spectrometry and 91亚色鈥檚 Centre for Research on Biomolecular Interactions. 鈥淚 am grateful to the provincial government for supporting our research.鈥澛犅�

鈥淭he Early Researcher Awards program is a prime example of the province鈥檚 ongoing commitment to strengthen and support globally competitive research being conducted at the University,鈥� said Robert Hach茅, vice-president, research & innovation, at 91亚色. 鈥淭he awards recognize cutting-edge research that is undertaken by researchers early in their careers, as they seek effective solutions to real-world challenges.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e proud of the remarkable talent we have at 91亚色 and the exceptional work our Toronto researchers do,鈥� said Sergio. 鈥淭heir contributions are making the world a better place, starting right here with new ideas and jobs in our community.鈥澛犅�

鈥淪ome of the world鈥檚 best researchers work here and across Ontario. Their ideas fuel job creation and economic growth, and our government is proud to support them,鈥� said Glen Murray, Ontario minister of research & innovation.

Republished courtesy of YFile 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Scientists at the new Centre for Research on Biomolecular Interactions (CRBI)聽at 91亚色, which officially opens today,聽aim to make discoveries that will impact global health care and the treatment of diseases.

Understanding the foundation of key interactions at the molecular level is the research focus at the聽new centre,聽which will be housed聽in聽91亚色's Faculty of Science聽& Engineering. Scientists will study how biomolecules interact at every level聽鈥� from pure molecules to single cells to the entire organism. They will examine these interactions聽under normal circumstances and in the development of a disease. Their research will result in a deeper understanding of the聽"mechanical" changes that occur in disease during biomedical interactions that have gone awry.

The CRBI members have already been busy at work聽exploring important molecular interactions of biomolecules such as nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and proteins.聽With the formation of the centre, they will now聽have the opportunity to combine their forces and share resources. The centre encompasses聽faculty members and research teams that include聽more than聽70 graduate students, research associates, postdoctoral fellows and undergraduate students.聽 Researchers from chemistry and biology departments at 91亚色 include Professors Gerald Audette, Samuel Benchimol, Kathy Hudak, Philip Johnson, Sergey Krylov (director), John McDermott,聽Andrew White and Derek Wilson.

Above: Some of the members of the new Centre for Research on Biomolecular Interactions at 91亚色. Front row, from left:聽Sergey Krylov, John McDermott and聽Derek Wilson.聽Middle row, from left:聽Philip Johnson and聽Gerald Audette.聽Back row, from left:聽Mark Bayfield and聽Andrew White. Missing from the photo are Professors Samuel Benchimol and Kathy Hudak.

The group鈥檚 combined expertise, which varies聽from analytical and physical chemistry to structural, cell and molecular biology,聽provides an opportunity for聽research projects to be pursued in an interdisciplinary and comprehensive manner. The team uses cutting-edge approaches to gain full understanding of key molecular players and events that can lead to disease, and by doing so,聽hopes to address聽prevention and future treatment of many diseases.

The centre is bustling with energy and activities, and future plans include extending the centre鈥檚 external and industry collaborations, launching a new peer-reviewed journal, Journal of Biomolecular Interactions, and hosting a research retreat.

鈥淭he creation of the Centre for Research on Biomolecular Interactions is an important step that will strengthen the existing collaborations and foster new ones at 91亚色 and beyond,鈥� says 91亚色 chemistry Professor Sergey Krylov,聽director of the CRBI and Canada Research Chair in Bioanalytical Chemistry. 鈥淭he centre is a nucleus for great researchers and it encourages a stimulating and cooperative environment. We have energy, enthusiasm and research synergy; I anticipate our collaborative research will lead to advances in various areas including disease detection and understanding of disease processes.鈥�

There will be an opening celebration for the CRBI today in the Seymour Schulich Building on 91亚色's Keele campus. The invitation-only event includes聽a reception and a keynote lecture by Professor Jack Greenblatt from the Terrace Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research at the University of Toronto,聽who will address the importance of studying biomolecular interactions in his talk titled 鈥淧rotein complexes and functional pathways in yeast, bacteria and mammalian cells鈥�.

From YFile - 91亚色's daily e-bulletin

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