| News
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
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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.
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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!!
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November 3, 2011
Dr. Alan S. L. Yu, Director, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension and the Kidney Institute, University of Kansas Medical Center will visit the Membrane Protein Research Group, hosted by Dr. Todd Alexander. He will present a seminar at the MPRG weekly meeting entitled, "Structure-function studies of the claudin ion pore".
For more information on Dr. Yu's research link (here). |
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October 6 & 7, 2011
Dr. Nevin Lambert, Professor, Dept. of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Georgia Health Sciences University (here) visited the Membrane Protein Research Group, hosted by
Dr. Joe Casey. Dr. Lambert presented a seminar at the MPRG weekly meeting entitled: "Organization and trafficking of membrane signaling proteins in living cells"
This visit was funded in part by the Walter Mackenzie Visiting Speaker Fund, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.
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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)
Congratulations to recent award winners: Christelle Lazareno-Saez (Lemieux lab) who won an Alberta Innovates Technology Futures award and to Cory Brooks (Lemieux lab) who won a CIHR Fellowship.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
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After 41 years of cancer research, Dr. Carol Cass, is retiring. Dr. Cass was a founding member of the Membrane Protein Research Group and has contributed greatly to it's success. We wish Dr. Cass all the best in her retirement and thank her for her wonderful years of service. |
A special WELCOME to our 2011 Summer Students:
Reid Barker (Alexander lab); Amr Abdelradi (Casey lab); Ying Wang and Jagdeep Tuli (Chen lab);
Reg Wawrinchuk, Diana Tan and June Kang (Fliegel lab); Melissa Morrison and Chris Beavington (Lemieux lab); Scott Meyer, Sally Wu and Nic Chua (Weiner lab), Keshika Prematilake (Cordat lab); and Michelina Kierzek (Howard Young lab). We hope you have a great experience with us this summer!
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Thursday, April 14, 2011
Dr. Maurizio Molinar, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Bellinzona, Switzerland visited the Department of Biochemistry, hosted by
Dr. Marek Michalak. Dr. Molinar presented a seminar at the MPRG weekly meeting entitled: "ERAD and ERAD tuning: disposal of cargo and of ERAD regulators from the mammalian ER".
For more information about Dr. Molinar and his research click (here).
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Congratulations to Carmen Chu (Emmanuelle Cordat's lab) who won an AIHS Studentship as well
as a 75th Anniversary Award and to Cory Brooks (Joanne Lemieux's lab) who won an AIHS Fellowship.
 Guest Speaker |
Upcoming Events
MPDRG Regular Weekly Meetings are held each Thursday in Classroom F-2J4.02 WC Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre from 9:00-10:15AM.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Richard Rothery, Research Associate (Dr. Joel Weiner's lab) will present: "The Role of the Pyranopterin in the Mononuclear Molybdoenzymes"
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)
Next Seminar - Wednesday February 8, 2012
Paramita Chaudhuri Basu will present: TBA.
Please attend and show your support.
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).
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