Well deserved congratulations to all of our Honours students who participated in the Honours Fest, hosted by the Faculty of Science. See our Facebook page for photos of them all. Below are the prize winners in the department.

Jennifer Evancio (left) received first prize at the 2013 Honours Fest. She is an Honours student in Dr. Marty Boulanger's lab. Jennifer's poster was entitled "Purification and Crystallization of Trypanosoma brucei BARP". Her research focused on Brucei alanine-rich protein (BARP), a Trypanosoma brucei surface protein present when the parasite is in the epimastigote stage in the tsetse fly. The goal of this project was to recombinantly express, purify, and crystallize the protein for structural characterization by xray crystallography.

Rob Mackenzie (left) received honorable mention at the 2013 Honours Fest. Rob, a Biochemistry and Microbiology Honours student, carried out his research in Dr. Brian Christie's lab in the Division of Medical Science. His poster is entitled: "Alterations of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit profile in the developing rat hippocampus following mild traumatic brain injury". Rob's research focused on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, a heterotetrameric, ligand-gated cation channel that is involved in synaptic plasticity. The purpose of this study was to characterize possible alterations of NMDA receptor subunits in a rodent model for juvenile concussion using a semi-quantitative, densitometric analysis of protein immunoblots.

Jenna Ries has been awawded the 2012 ACE (Association for Co-operative Education in BC) Co-op Student of the Year. In their letter to Jenna, they state:

"This award recognizes a BC or Yukon Co-op student who demonstrates an outstanding level of achievement in their Co-op position and in their academic studies, and also makes significant contributions to co-operative education and in their volunteer activities at school and in the community.

The Awards Committee was extremely impressed with all of your achievements during your work term with the BC Cancer Agency’s Deeley Research Centre; your strong academic record through your Bachelor of Science degree program; your publishing and research accomplishments; as well as your dedication to supporting your peers through mentoring and student leadership activities at the University of Victoria."

Jenna Ries (biochemistry) is the 2012 Co-op Student of the Year for Optional and Professional Programs. She has completed work terms with the National Research Council of Canada and the BC Cancer Agency Deeley Research Centre, where she co-authored two papers in the peer-reviewed scientific journals Autophagy (Landes Bioscience) and The Journal of Pathology (Wiley Publishing). "Jenna's work made it possible for us to publish our findings in a short period of time, which undoubtedly helped to raise the profile of our research both regionally and internationally," says supervisor Dr. Julian J. Lum of the BC Cancer Agency. "I would rank her performance, productivity and contribution in the top 5% of all students at her career stage."

Congratulations to David Dilworth, winner of the 2011/12 Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology Graduate Teaching Award. David was presented with the award by Dr. Robert Burke, Chair of the department.

The Microbiology 200 lab instructors have this to say of David:

"Dave was an exceptional TA. He consistently went above and beyond in terms of preparation for the lab and assistance to the Instructor and students during the lab. Dave was very personable and professional and received many positive comments from students on their course evaluations."

In BCMB 406, Dave was instrumental in the development of the new ChIP lab. He worked well independently processing the qPCR samples. He was an efficient marker and gave the students extensive feedback on their assignments.

Michelle has been accepted to theEMBO Practical Course on Structural Characterization of Macromolecular Complexes being held in Grenoble, France June 4-9, 2012. She is one of 20 successful candidates chosen from a field of 179 applicants consisting of PhD students, Post-docs, MSc students, undergrads and other scientists from around the world.

Michelle has provided this description of her research project: “There are more than five thousand species of Apicomplexan parasites, including Plasmodium and Toxoplasma (the etiological agents of malaria and toxoplasmosis, respectively), that together cause globally devastating diseases leading to millions of deaths every year. My research project is focused on elucidating the conserved mechanism used by these diverse parasites to invade host cells. A detailed understanding of the essential steps in invasion will provide a solid foundation for the engineering of broadly neutralizing therapeutics targeting the Apicomplexans.

Further to this, Michelle has published a paper in the prestigious Science journal, and has also recently been awarded a PEO Scholar Award for 2012-2013.

Michael McClean has been named 2012 Biochemistry & Microbiology Co-op Student of the Year. Mike has excelled in the classroom and on his Co-op placements. Dr. Francis Choy, Mike's most recent Co-op supervisor, noted "Mike exemplifies what a model co-op student in molecular biology research at UVic is about and raises the bar to a new high standard."

Mike provided the following account of his Co-op experience at the BIOC/MICR Co-op student recruiting event last year:
"I joined Co-op as a second-year student solely to enhance my medical school applications. Unbeknown to me at the time, that decision resulted in a profound and positive change in my outlook. After two work terms, I had become passionate about my studies and developed a new view of the whole UVic experience. Co-op provided me with role models and friends who have helped me out during tough times and who I know I can rely on today and tomorrow for support and advice. I gained much knowledge and many skills during my work terms but, most importantly, I gained the confidence to question and critique what I hear and read. Although many Co-op programs are optional, in my experience Co-op is a mandantory part of a successful degree at UVic. There is no downside to cooperative education. Even if you don't get the most prestigious placements, in the end you will have grown in ways you never expected and never would achieve by only attending classes."

L-R: Ausio, Spriggs, Choy
Lyndsay Spriggs graduated from UVic with a BSc Honours in 2009. She studied with Dr. Francis Choy in Biology and continued to complete her Honours degree in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology in Dr. Juan Ausio's lab. She published her research, as first author in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry:
Sprigg, L., Li, A., Choy, F.Y.M., and Ausio, J. 2010. Interaction of daunomycin with acetylated chromatin. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 53 (17), 6457-6465.
Lyndsay was awarded the International North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) research award for her work.
Dr. Choy writes this of Lyndsay:
"Upon graduation in June 2009 with an Hons. B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Microbiology at UVic, Lyndsay continued her research with the B.C. Cancer Agency in Vancouver for a year. She applied for admission to study Medicine at UBC to further advance her study in the field. Because of Lyndsay's academic and research excellence, she was admitted by UBC Faculty of Medicine in August 2011 and is currently studying Medicine at the UBC Kelowna campus. Regarding the award, the NRW Research Schools were founded as an initiative of the German federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). International networks of renowned scientists, world leading supervisors and excellent scientific environments – the NRW Research Schools provide a forum for pre-doctoral candidates with superior academic track records. In the summer of 2011, they sent the Dean of Science at UVic a flyer inviting UVic faculties to nominate outstanding undergraduate research students for this award. I communicated with Juan and we subsequently nominated Lyndsay for this award under the category Cell Dynamics and Disease (Biomedicine, Molecules and Cells). In November,we were informed that Lyndsay received the highest ratings from the adjudicating committee in this category and was given the top award."

Congratulations to Brett Eyford, winner of the 2010/11 Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology Graduate Teaching Award. Brett was presented with the award by Dr. Robert Burke, Chair of the department.

There are numerous awards and scholarships for which our graduate students successfully compete. Below is the list of current recipients.

Jennifer Christie: Edythe Hembroff-Schleicher Scholarship and Mrs. Annie Greskiw Graduate Award
Melissa Cid: Ray Hadfield Memorial Fellowship
Geoff Gudavicius: Dr Julius F. Schleicher Graduate Scholarship
Sara Kost: Martlet Chapter IODE Graduate Scholarship for Women
Craig Robb: Howard E. Petch Research Scholarship
Michelle Tonkin: Charles S. Humphrey Graduate Student Award

Jennifer Christie
Melissa Cid
Dylan Evans
Sara Kost
Morteza Razavi
Craig Robb
Neda Savic

Ryan Blackler
Tanya Brown
Yavor Denchev
Michelle Tonkin

David Dilworth
Katherine Ellard
Brett Eyford
Omid Haji-Ghassemi
Andrew Hettle
Kaleigh Giles
Kathryn Gomery
Geoff Gudavicius
Oliver Krupke
Cuong Le
Andrew Leung
Stacey Maher
Ralph McWhinnie
Connor O'Sullivan
Jaroslaw Pankowski
Matthew Parker
Crystal Pinto
Raghavendran Ramaswamy
Pola Wojnarowicz

Kaleigh Giles
Andrew Hettle
Neda Savic
Kevin Yongblah

Ryan Blackler: Alexander Graham Bell CGS-D
Tanya Brown: Industrial postgraduate (ongoing)
Michelle Tonkin: Alexander Graham Bell CGS-D (ongoing)

Morteza Razavi, a PhD student in Dr. Terry Pearson's lab, is first author in a paper recently published in the Journal of Proteome Research, which decribes the development of a workflow which could lead to the application of mass spec-based proteomics as a clinical tool.  The research was done in collaboration with SISCAPA Assay Technologies and Agilent Technologies. An online article in the ProteoMonitor discusses the significance of the research.

The structures elucidated by Dr. Stephen Evans' lab of the enzymes responsible for the generation of some of the common blood types have been designated the RCSB Protein Data Bank's "Molecule of the Month". The Human ABO(H) Blood Type A and B 'glycosyltransferases' are enzymes that change the carbohydrate structures associated with blood type 'O' into those associated with blood types 'A' and 'B', respectively. The A, B and O(H) antigens are presented on many cells in your body, including red blood cells, and are a major source of tissue incompatibility. The Protein Data Bank has outlined the significance of these structures here.

Dr. Marty Boulanger receives the 2012 Faculty of Science Award for Research Excellence from Dean Lipson.

Dr. Robert Burke, Chair of the Department, says this of Marty: "The Research Excellence Award is recognition that normal standards have been surpassed by research of exceptional merit. I believe that there are several clear indications that Marty has accomplished this. The quality of his publications, the grants and awards he has received, the recognition of his peers and the leaders in the field all indicate that Marty’s research is worthy of this important distinction. Marty is the epitome of what this award intends to recognize – a young scientist who is doing world-class research."

Dr. Marty Boulanger has been awarded the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Molecular Interactions and Structural Biology.

Apicomplexan parasites such as Toxoplasma. gondii (toxoplasmosis) and Plasmodium spp. (malaria) pose a major risk to human health on a global scale. To survive host immunity, those pathogens take refuge inside the protective environment of host cells. Thus, understanding the mechanisms that govern host cell attachment and invasion is central to defining parasite virulence characteristics and to controlling their pathogenesis, and is a major research focus in the Boulanger lab.

Dr. Al Boraston (pictured here with Governor General David Johnston) was one of six outstanding Canadian University faculty researchers awarded a prestigious 2012 E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship.

For the next two years Dr. Boraston will be able to devote his time and resources to his research on carbohydrate-binding proteins, and their potential application in fighting microbial infections and generation of biofuels.

Photo credit: MCpl Dany Veillette, Rideau Hall © 2012 Office of the Secretary to the Governor General of Canada

Dr. Caren Helbing is the 2011 recipient of the Craigdarroch Award for Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Pesticides, drugs and industrial effluents are being released into the environment daily, yet we know little about their adverse effects. Biochemist Caren Helbing is working hard to change that.

Over the past decade, Dr. Helbing has provided advanced scientific tools and technical training to regulatory agencies and private sector companies to help them generate meaningful environmental assessment information. She continues to develop new technology for environmental monitoring.