Martinez Garcia
My research interests focus fundamentally on animal physiology, and specifically on the individual variation of physiological traits and adaptive mechanisms by which animals survive in changing environments. My students and I prefer to combine physiological, biochemical, behavioural and ecological data in order to examine how the energetic metabolism in animals is affected when abiotic or biotic factors in their environments change. Currently, my work is mostly with fish, but I am equally interested on vertebrates in general. My past interests include the physiology of locomotion in fish and their response to food availability. And most recently we focus on a widespread phenomenon, hypoxia and its effects in fish fitness. We have studied the reproductive fitness of three different African fish, Barbus neumayeri, Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor victoriae and Barbus apleurogramma. My students and I are investigating to what extent hypoxia can affect the reproductive fitness (gonad size, sperm morphometry and sperm swimming capacity) across sites displaying divergent dissolved oxygen levels (hypoxia - normoxia).
Merritt
Dr.Merritt’s research combines bioinformatics, functional genomics, and experimentation to explore metabolism and genetic networks. Merritt’s group studies the interactions between genes, genetic backgrounds, and the environment in a variety of stress response systems. In one project, we are using metabolomics and the SNOLAB particle physics laboratory, located 2 km underground in an active mine, to understand deep underground physiology. Other projects investigate oxidative stress and the NADP(H) enzymes. Merritt’s contributions also extend beyond the research setting and into the non-scientific community. As a committed science communicator and partner with Science North, Canada’s second largest science centre, Merritt has shared the importance of genetics research as a TEDx speaker, educator, and as a contributor to news sources. His article on trapping flies – and the science of model species – was the most read article of 2017 at TheConversation.ca, an on-line academic news source. In 2017, Merritt partnered with a local primary school to set a world record for most people isolated DNA at one time.
Montaut
Our group is interested in natural product chemistry. Our research interests are mainly oriented toward the isolation and structure elucidation of secondary metabolites from higher plants using modern spectroscopic methods. We preferably focus on new natural products likely to possess biological activities. We are more concerned about the plants from the Brassicaceae family or also called Crucifers, which are mainly consumed as vegetables. Our laboratory is inclusive, committed to employment equity, welcomes diversity & encourages applications from all qualified people, including women, members of visible minorities, Aboriginal people, people with disabilities & people of all orientations & gender identities/expressions.
Nkongolo
His research interests in the last 20 years have been in genetic modifications, genome organization and mapping, environmental health and genetics, and preventive medicine. He has contributed significantly to our understanding of karyotype evolution and molecular phylogeny in Pinaceae, interspecific gene transfer for germplasm improvement in Poaceae, genetics, and physiological mechanisms involved in biota resistance to metals. He has developed (and released with his colleagues) 12 drought tolerant crop varieties, eight registered genetically modified cereal lines for disease resistance, and two maize varieties with high lysine and tryptophan content currently used to manage chronic disease in malnourished children/adults.
Omri
Research interests are: Liposomal delivery of antisense oligonucleotides. Effect on P-glycoprotein function in multidrug resistant cells in vitro and in vivo studies. Cationic liposome formulations are used to promote the penetration of antisense oligonucleotides into the cell membrane and protect them from enzymatic degradation (nucleases); Liposomal delivery of antimicrobial agents towards resistant bacterial pathogens: pulmonary and systemic infections. Construction of liposomes with high encapsulation efficiency, favorable antimicrobial release profile and enhanced bactericidal activity, to overcome the problem of bacterial resistance caused by low permeability of the bacterial cell envelope and by production of antimicrobial-inactivating enzymes; Liposomal formulations of drugs and vaccine for oral delivery. Liposomes are used to protect the encapsulated agents from the harsh gastrointestinal milieu (low pH, phospholipases, and bile salts) and to enhance their absorption to the systemic circulation and to increase the efficacy of these agents while minimizing their frequency of administration. Special liposomal formulation will be prepared, characterized and assayed for their efficacy in vitro and in animal models.
Parissenti
Dr. Parissenti's research group and its collaborators seek to identify and validate effective approaches to monitor the effectiveness of cancer treatments in cancer patients. They recently discovered the ability of a variety of structurally distinct chemotherapy agents to induce the degradation of ribosomal RNA in tumour cells, a phenomenon we refer to as “RNA disruption”. Interestingly, they observed in a national clinical trial (MA.22) that high tumour RNA disruption during treatment is associated with pathologic complete response and improved disease-free survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer. One current goal of the group is to validate their promising clinical findings in an international breast cancer clinical trial called BREVITY. They are also focused on better understanding the biochemical and cellular mechanisms involved in RNA disruption by chemotherapy agents. Dr. Parissenti's research group has also provided evidence that chemotherapy agents can induce an acute inflammatory response in tumour cells involving the production of the cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF). This induction is lost in chemoresistant cells, and they are now investigating strategies to restore TNF production in chemoresistant cells through the activation of toll like receptors (TLRs).
Robitaille
Zoology, Ecology, Mammology, Forest Ecology, Ecology of mesocarnivores
Ryser
I investigate plant functional traits which underlie variation in species ecological behaviour, focusing on biomass turnover, i.e. on the one hand growth rate and resource acquisition, and on the other hand, organ life span and resource conservation. My current research projects deal with plants of Northern Ontario wetlands emphasizing below ground traits such as root turnover. I also investigate plant responses to soil heavy metal contamination.