May 1, 2012

Congratulations to Maria Syed (Joanne Lemieux ‘s lab) and Jagdeep Tuli (Xing-Zhen Chen’s lab), who have been awarded the first summer studentships from the IRTG in Membrane Biology!

April 30, 2012

The International Research Training Group in Membrane Biology

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research council of Canada has awarded members of the MPDRG with a training program grant as part of the NSERC CREATE program. The $1.6 million investment from NSERC will fund a collaborative training program for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, which will run 2012-2018. Highlights of the program include collaborative visits to our German partners for three-six months, and visits to industrial partners. The announcement for applications for the training program will be made shortly on this web site and on the separate website for the IRTG in Membrane Biology. A news article about the IRTG in Membrane Biology is also available.

April 3, 2012

We welcome our newest future member of the MPDRG - Russell Ian Leslie Kelly who was born April 3rd at 11:15pm, weighing in at 9lb 14oz/4480g.   Elaine and husband Rob and all the" caregivers" in the Leslie lab are doing well!!

April 19, 2012 Dr. Thomas Simmen, Associate Professor, AHFMR Scholar, Dept. of Cell Biology presented: “The mitochondria-associated membrane (MAM): Targeting Mechanisms and Functions” Dr. Simmen's research link (here).

March 1& 2, 2012 Dr. Holger Becker, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Zoology Technical University, Kaiserslautern, Germany visited the Membrane Protein Disease Research Group, hosted by Dr. Joe Casey.  Dr. Becker is a member of the German research group with whom we have formed an International Training initiative. His research is on sodium/bicarbonate co-transporters and monocarboxylate transporters. For more information on his research link (here). Dr. Becker presented a seminar at the weekly MPDRG meeting on Thursday, March 1, 9:00am, Classroom F-2J4.02 titled:  "A new concept of 'transport metabolon' : Non-enzymatic interaction between carbonic anhydrase and the monocarboxylate transporter".

February 23, 2012 Dr. Anthony Gramolini, Associate Professor, Dept. of Physiology, University of Toronto was Visiting Speaker at the MPDRG weekly seminar on Feb. 23, 2012. (Hosted by Dr. Marek Michalak).  The title of Dr. Gramolini's seminar was: "Cardiovascular proteomics:  from Stem Cells to Tissues".   His research..." is aimed at providing a detailed mechanistic insight into heart failure specifically and identifying the role of calcium and calcium-binding proteins in the development of heart failure". For more information link (here).

Dr. Joanne Lemieux featured in Alberta Health Innovates - Health Solutions Research News-

Solving structure

Membrane protein structures could lead to the development of improved drugs...read more

Story by Tara Narwani / Illustration by Blair Kelly

Dr. M. Joanne Lemieux receives funding from Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions. Dr. Lemieux is an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry in Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta and holds a Canada Research Chair in Membrane Protein Structure and Function.

Important Announcement!

International Research Training Group (IRTG) in Membrane Biology

The MPRG, along with partners at Technical University Kaiserslautern and Saarland University (Germany), is developing a joint training program in Membrane Biology. This training program will enable enrolled students and Postdoctoral fellows to develop high level skills in Membrane Biology through a series of activities, including research at University of Alberta and in the laboratory of a partner in Germany. We are excited to announce that our German partners were successful in obtaining funding for their share of the program from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). The MPRG has applied for support from the Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) to fund the University of Alberta portion of the International Research Training Group. If we receive funding, then the IRTG in Membrane Biology will begin to enroll students and postdoctoral fellows in the IRTG in Membrane Biology for
Fall 2012. (Research Training Group link here)

December 16, 2011 Dr. Anthony Carruthers, Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts visited the Membrane Protein Research Group, hosted by Dr. Chris Cheeseman.  Dr. Carruthers presented a seminar in the Department of Physiology, Room 7-62 MSB at 1:30pm, titled:  "Molecular determinants of glucose transporter structure, function and regulation."  For more information on his research link (here).

December 15, 2011

Congratulations to Kate Witkowska, Ph.D.  Kate, from the Cheeseman Lab, successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis!

MPDRG Annual Holiday Celebration was held on Thursday, December 15th - 12:00-2:30pm in Katz Conference Rooms 4003 and 4004.   Thanks to everyone who helped with set and clean up. 

On the Move....

Dr. Joe Casey's lab has relocated to 4055 Katz Building and his office is now in Room 4020E Katz Building..  All the best in your new home!

December 1, 2011

Congratulations to Brittany Brown (Casey Lab) who successfully defended her M.Sc. thesis!!

Summer Student Presentations 2011 Award Winners
 Like previous years, the Membrane Protein Research Group organizes a presentation series towards the end of the students' research training.  This year we had 12 summer students presenting on Thursday, August 11, 18, 25 and September 1 - see (here) for schedule details.

 
Congratulations to all those students who participated. We are pleased to announce the top three award winners:
1st place – Ying Wang (Chen’s lab), 2nd place – Scott Meyer (Weiner lab); 3rd place winner – Michelina Kierzek (H. Young’s lab). 

Thank you again to everyone who participated and volunteered their time.   Special thanks to Dr. Elaine Leslie who was the judging coordinator and her assistant, Wengtong Long. 
 

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Visiting Scientist, Dr. David Chester, Yale University presented a seminar at 3:00PM in Room 4-70 Medical Sciences Building entitled: "Cryo-Electron Microscopy Structural Analysis and Functional Correlation of the IP3 Receptor". 
Dr. Chester's visit to the MPRG was hosted by Dr. Howard Young.  (Chester seminar.pdf)

MPDRG Regular Weekly Meetings are held each Thursday in Classroom F-2J4.02 WC Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre from 9:00-10:15AM. 

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Gang Lu , Postdoctoral Fellow (Dr. Chris Cheeseman's lab) will present:   "It all starts with PETS".

Please attend and show your support!

Schedule for 2011-2012 is posted (here).

Membrane Protein Journal Club (Biochemistry 640) is held Wednesdays in Room 4-70 MSB at 4:00pm. The course Biochemistry 640 is a graduate course in the department of Biochemistry. Presenters usually give a literature review of a paper that focuses on membranes or membrane proteins. Guest speakers sometimes present their own work. More volunteers are needed to fill out the schedule. If you or someone in your lab can give a seminar, please contact the coordinator,

Dr. Larry Fliegel (lfliegel@ualberta.ca 492-1848)

Schedule for 2010-2012 is posted (here).

Structure of rhomboid intramembrane protease solved by MPRG researcher, Dr. Joanne Lemieux (from Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Jan 16;104(3):750-4).

Structure of transmembrane domain VII of the mammalian NHE1 isoform of the Na+/H+ exchanger from  Dr. Larry Fliegel's laboratory (J. Biol. Chem., 2006, 281:29817).