Sara Andres, PhD

Research

• DNA Damage Response and Repair
• Drug Resistant Infections
• Structural Biology

Drug resistant infections continuously challenge all forms of eukaryotic life including humans, plants, and animals. Current antibiotic therapies against bacterial infections include those that damage the bacterial genome, however DNA damage response and repair mechanisms lead to cell survival and drug resistant infections. Our lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of bacterial DNA damage response and repair through protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions and the role these interactions play in driving the evolution of antimicrobial resistance. We employ structural biology (x-ray crystallography, small-angle x-ray scattering, and atomic force microscopy), biochemistry, and molecular and cell biology to identify unique features of the DNA damage response and repair systems that can be exploited for new therapeutic strategies targeting pathogenic bacteria.

Visit Sara Andres’ Homepage

Sara Andres, PhD

Research

• DNA Damage Response and Repair
• Drug Resistant Infections
• Structural Biology

Drug resistant infections continuously challenge all forms of eukaryotic life including humans, plants, and animals. Current antibiotic therapies against bacterial infections include those that damage the bacterial genome, however DNA damage response and repair mechanisms lead to cell survival and drug resistant infections. Our lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of bacterial DNA damage response and repair through protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions and the role these interactions play in driving the evolution of antimicrobial resistance. We employ structural biology (x-ray crystallography, small-angle x-ray scattering, and atomic force microscopy), biochemistry, and molecular and cell biology to identify unique features of the DNA damage response and repair systems that can be exploited for new therapeutic strategies targeting pathogenic bacteria.

Visit Sara Andres’ Homepage

Mick Bhatia, PhD

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Program in Experimental Therapeutics of Human Leukemias
Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Human Stem Cell Biology
Michael G. DeGroote Chair in Stem Cell and Cancer Biology

MDCL 5029
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 28687
mbhatia@mcmaster.ca

https://www.bhatiaprogram.com/

Research

Mick Bhatia’s research examines the parallels between the behaviour of human stem cells and the initial stages of the development of human cancer in order to advance understanding of how cancer begins.

Mick Bhatia, PhD

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Program in Experimental Therapeutics of Human Leukemias
Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Human Stem Cell Biology
Michael G. DeGroote Chair in Stem Cell and Cancer Biology

MDCL 5029
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 28687
mbhatia@mcmaster.ca

https://www.bhatiaprogram.com/

Research

Mick Bhatia’s research examines the parallels between the behaviour of human stem cells and the initial stages of the development of human cancer in order to advance understanding of how cancer begins.

Russell Bishop, PhD

Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

4H31B Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 28810
bishopr@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Biogenesis of the Gram-negative Cell Envelope

Research in the Bishop Lab is focused on the biogenesis of bacterial cell envelopes, including biochemical studies of lipid transport, the bacterial outer membrane enzyme PagP, as well as enzymology and signal transduction of lipid A (endotoxin).

Visit Russell Bishop’s Homepage

Russell Bishop, PhD

Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

4H31B Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 28810
bishopr@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Biogenesis of the Gram-negative Cell Envelope

Research in the Bishop Lab is focused on the biogenesis of bacterial cell envelopes, including biochemical studies of lipid transport, the bacterial outer membrane enzyme PagP, as well as enzymology and signal transduction of lipid A (endotoxin).

Visit Russell Bishop’s Homepage

Eric D. Brown, PhD

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Canada Research Chair in Chemical Biology

MDCL 2321
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 21547
ebrown@mcmaster.ca

Assistant: Jodi Biro

Research

• Microbiological Biochemistry
• Antimicrobial Research

Dr. Brown’s research interests are in studying complex and poorly understood aspects of biology in bacteria using molecular genetic and biochemical approaches. Brown lab researchers are currently studying cell wall and ribosome biogenesis, both daunting cellular processes of remarkable complexity. Further, Dr. Brown oversees an ambitious effort in chemical genomics aimed at mapping and understanding the interaction of drug-like small molecules with bacterial cell systems.

In the past forty years, only two new classes of antibiotics have reached the clinic for treatment of bacterial infections. During this time we have seen an alarming increase in reports of “superbugs” that are resistant to all existing antibiotics. Indeed, multi-drug resistance amoung bacterial pathogens is largely due to the limited number of drugs that eradicate bacteria with a narrow range of measures. Recognizing the need for new therapies with novel mechanisms of action, we have mounted research projects in areas of bacterial physiology of emerging importance in antibacterial drug discovery.

Visit Eric Brown’s Homepage

Eric D. Brown, PhD

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Canada Research Chair in Chemical Biology

MDCL 2321
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 21547
ebrown@mcmaster.ca

Assistant: Jodi Biro

Research

• Microbiological Biochemistry
• Antimicrobial Research

Dr. Brown’s research interests are in studying complex and poorly understood aspects of biology in bacteria using molecular genetic and biochemical approaches. Brown lab researchers are currently studying cell wall and ribosome biogenesis, both daunting cellular processes of remarkable complexity. Further, Dr. Brown oversees an ambitious effort in chemical genomics aimed at mapping and understanding the interaction of drug-like small molecules with bacterial cell systems.

In the past forty years, only two new classes of antibiotics have reached the clinic for treatment of bacterial infections. During this time we have seen an alarming increase in reports of “superbugs” that are resistant to all existing antibiotics. Indeed, multi-drug resistance amoung bacterial pathogens is largely due to the limited number of drugs that eradicate bacteria with a narrow range of measures. Recognizing the need for new therapies with novel mechanisms of action, we have mounted research projects in areas of bacterial physiology of emerging importance in antibacterial drug discovery.

Visit Eric Brown’s Homepage

Lori Burrows, PhD

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Joint Member, Pathology & Molecular Medicine

4H18 Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22029
burrowl@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Bacterial Adhesins
• Biofilm Formation

Many bacteria use retractable, grappling hook-like fibres called type IV pili (T4P) to stick to, and pull themselves along surfaces. T4P are related to type II secretion (T2S) systems used to release toxic proteins from the cell. We study these two systems in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa with the goals of understanding their function and identifying vulnerabilities that could be exploited for drug development.

T4P and T2S systems must cross the fence-like peptidoglycan layer that acts as a skeleton for the cell. We investigate how large protein complexes are inserted through this layer, which must remain intact for the cells to survive.

Surface-attached bacterial communities called biofilms are important in environmental, medical and food safety-related processes. We study key biofilm developmental pathways by finding small molecules that increase or decrease biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa or Listeria monocytogenes, an important food-borne pathogen.

Visit Lori Burrows’ Homepage

Lori Burrows, PhD

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Joint Member, Pathology & Molecular Medicine

4H18 Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22029
burrowl@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Bacterial Adhesins
• Biofilm Formation

Many bacteria use retractable, grappling hook-like fibres called type IV pili (T4P) to stick to, and pull themselves along surfaces. T4P are related to type II secretion (T2S) systems used to release toxic proteins from the cell. We study these two systems in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa with the goals of understanding their function and identifying vulnerabilities that could be exploited for drug development.

T4P and T2S systems must cross the fence-like peptidoglycan layer that acts as a skeleton for the cell. We investigate how large protein complexes are inserted through this layer, which must remain intact for the cells to survive.

Surface-attached bacterial communities called biofilms are important in environmental, medical and food safety-related processes. We study key biofilm developmental pathways by finding small molecules that increase or decrease biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa or Listeria monocytogenes, an important food-borne pathogen.

Visit Lori Burrows’ Homepage

Brian Coombes, PhD

Chair and Professor

Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Canada Research Chair in Infectious Disease Pathogenesis

4N59 Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22454
coombes@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Microbiological Biochemistry
• Antimicrobial Research Cell Biology
• Gene Regulation

The Coombes laboratory investigates the genetics and molecular pathogenesis of human and animal infectious diseases. Coombes lab scientists use genetic, genomic and proteomics techniques to understand how bacterial virulence factors are expressed and function in the context of a host. We use model systems to then understand the complexity of the biological processes affected by these virulence factors, including subversion of the immune system, colonization dynamics and host damage. We have initiated research projects in four major areas that focus on the evolution, mechanisms and host responses to pathogenic processes caused by bacteria.

Visit Brian Coombes’ Homepage

Brian Coombes, PhD

Chair and Professor

Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Canada Research Chair in Infectious Disease Pathogenesis

4N59 Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22454
coombes@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Microbiological Biochemistry
• Antimicrobial Research Cell Biology
• Gene Regulation

The Coombes laboratory investigates the genetics and molecular pathogenesis of human and animal infectious diseases. Coombes lab scientists use genetic, genomic and proteomics techniques to understand how bacterial virulence factors are expressed and function in the context of a host. We use model systems to then understand the complexity of the biological processes affected by these virulence factors, including subversion of the immune system, colonization dynamics and host damage. We have initiated research projects in four major areas that focus on the evolution, mechanisms and host responses to pathogenic processes caused by bacteria.

Visit Brian Coombes’ Homepage

Benson Honig, PhD

Professor, Human Resources and Management

bhonig@mcmaster.ca
Room DSB-406
ph: 905-525-9140 x23943
fax: 905-521-8995

Benson Honig

Professor Honig specializes in entrepreneurship. His research interests include social and human capital, business planning, transnational entrepreneurship, nascent entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship in environments of transition. Please visit Dr. Honig’s website for more information about his research, experience and the Entrepreneurship in a Diverse University Base (B748) course syllabus.

Benson Honig, PhD

Professor, Human Resources and Management

bhonig@mcmaster.ca
Room DSB-406
ph: 905-525-9140 x23943
fax: 905-521-8995

Benson Honig

Professor Honig specializes in entrepreneurship. His research interests include social and human capital, business planning, transnational entrepreneurship, nascent entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship in environments of transition. Please visit Dr. Honig’s website for more information about his research, experience and the Entrepreneurship in a Diverse University Base (B748) course syllabus.

Yingfu Li, PhD

Associate Director, Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization Program

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Associate Member, Chemical Engineering

4H32A Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22462
liying@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Structural Biology
• Protein/Nucleic Acid Structure/Protein

Our group works at the interface between chemistry and biology. Our overall research interest is to examine unusual functions of nucleic acids and to be creative about them. The molecules that we are interested in studying include artificial or natural single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules with often surprising properties. Our study on DNA or RNA has several distinct features. First, we examine DNA or RNA not for its well-recognized role as the genetic material to store and transmit genetic information for living organisms, but rather for its less-known utility as a simple polymer to carry out catalytic and binding functions. Second, we study DNA or RNA not in their rigid double-stranded form but in their flexible single-stranded configuration. Third, usually there is no natural source to fetch the DNA or RNA molecules for our study, but rather we create our own molecules using a technique called “In vitro selection”. In vitro selection is a simple yet powerful combinatorial approach that allows simultaneous screening of up to 1016 different DNA or RNA molecules in a single mixture for rare sequences with unusual functions.

It has been well demonstrated that nucleic acids, in addition to their roles in the storage and transmission of genetic information, can also act as enzymes (ribozymes and DNAzymes) and receptors (aptamers and riboswitches). My group is interested both in the study of basic functions of these molecules (basic science focus of the lab) and in the exploration of these molecules as novel molecular tools for therapeutics, biomolecular detection, drug discovery and nanotechnology (applied science focus of the lab).

Visit Yingfu Li’s Homepage

Yingfu Li, PhD

Associate Director, Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization Program

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Associate Member, Chemical Engineering

4H32A Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22462
liying@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Structural Biology
• Protein/Nucleic Acid Structure/Protein

Our group works at the interface between chemistry and biology. Our overall research interest is to examine unusual functions of nucleic acids and to be creative about them. The molecules that we are interested in studying include artificial or natural single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules with often surprising properties. Our study on DNA or RNA has several distinct features. First, we examine DNA or RNA not for its well-recognized role as the genetic material to store and transmit genetic information for living organisms, but rather for its less-known utility as a simple polymer to carry out catalytic and binding functions. Second, we study DNA or RNA not in their rigid double-stranded form but in their flexible single-stranded configuration. Third, usually there is no natural source to fetch the DNA or RNA molecules for our study, but rather we create our own molecules using a technique called “In vitro selection”. In vitro selection is a simple yet powerful combinatorial approach that allows simultaneous screening of up to 1016 different DNA or RNA molecules in a single mixture for rare sequences with unusual functions.

It has been well demonstrated that nucleic acids, in addition to their roles in the storage and transmission of genetic information, can also act as enzymes (ribozymes and DNAzymes) and receptors (aptamers and riboswitches). My group is interested both in the study of basic functions of these molecules (basic science focus of the lab) and in the exploration of these molecules as novel molecular tools for therapeutics, biomolecular detection, drug discovery and nanotechnology (applied science focus of the lab).

Visit Yingfu Li’s Homepage

Christopher J. Longo, PhD

Associate Professor, Executive Committee Member, Health Policy and Management

Room: RJC-253
ph: 905-525-9140 x23896
fax: 905-634-4994
clongo@mcmaster.ca

Dr. Longo has over 20 years of industry experience in clinical research, economic evaluation, and market access strategies for pharmaceuticals. He has published both clinical and economic research in a number of therapeutic areas including: diabetes, cancer, sepsis, and central nervous system disorders.

Dr. Longo’s research interests include the economic evaluation of pharmaceuticals, the public/private mix in the financing of healthcare, and the evaluation of factors influencing patients’ financial burden for health care services, particularly in the area of cancer.

Christopher J. Longo, PhD

Associate Professor, Executive Committee Member, Health Policy and Management

Room: RJC-253
ph: 905-525-9140 x23896
fax: 905-634-4994
clongo@mcmaster.ca

Dr. Longo has over 20 years of industry experience in clinical research, economic evaluation, and market access strategies for pharmaceuticals. He has published both clinical and economic research in a number of therapeutic areas including: diabetes, cancer, sepsis, and central nervous system disorders.

Dr. Longo’s research interests include the economic evaluation of pharmaceuticals, the public/private mix in the financing of healthcare, and the evaluation of factors influencing patients’ financial burden for health care services, particularly in the area of cancer.

Michelle MacDonald, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

4H44 Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22316
macdonml@mcmaster.ca

Research

As a graduate of McMaster’s Biochemistry undergraduate program, I remained at McMaster and pursued a Ph.D. in the Medical Sciences Graduate Programme in the Faculty of Health Sciences in the area of Muscle Biochemistry. My Ph.D. thesis focused on “The regulation of carbohydrate and lactate metabolism in human skeletal muscle”. I continued with a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Waterloo in the Department of Kinesiology where my research focused on “Fatty acid transport proteins in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue of lean and obese patients and their role in the development of Type 2 diabetes”.

I am pleased to have returned to the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences as an Assistant Professor where my interests now lie in undergraduate education and improving teaching and learning in Biochemistry. As the academic advisor in Biochemistry, I also advise undergraduate students on programme and course selection. Though I don’t have set office hours, I am happy to meet with you by appointment, and my door is always open.

Michelle MacDonald, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

4H44 Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22316
macdonml@mcmaster.ca

Research

As a graduate of McMaster’s Biochemistry undergraduate program, I remained at McMaster and pursued a Ph.D. in the Medical Sciences Graduate Programme in the Faculty of Health Sciences in the area of Muscle Biochemistry. My Ph.D. thesis focused on “The regulation of carbohydrate and lactate metabolism in human skeletal muscle”. I continued with a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Waterloo in the Department of Kinesiology where my research focused on “Fatty acid transport proteins in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue of lean and obese patients and their role in the development of Type 2 diabetes”.

I am pleased to have returned to the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences as an Assistant Professor where my interests now lie in undergraduate education and improving teaching and learning in Biochemistry. As the academic advisor in Biochemistry, I also advise undergraduate students on programme and course selection. Though I don’t have set office hours, I am happy to meet with you by appointment, and my door is always open.

Lesley T. MacNeil, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute

Office: HSC 4H17
Extension: 26523
Lab: HSC 3N11B
Extension: 21256
macneil@mcmaster.ca

Lesley T. MacNeil, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute

Office: HSC 4H17
Extension: 26523
Lab: HSC 3N11B
Extension: 21256
macneil@mcmaster.ca

Nathan Magarvey, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Canada Research Chair in Chemical Biology and Natural Products

MDCL-2320
McMaster University
905-525-9140 x 22244
magarv@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Natural Product Biosynthesis & Drug Discovery
• Microbial Metabolomics
• Small Molecule/chemical signaling

Nathan Magarvey, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Canada Research Chair in Chemical Biology and Natural Products

MDCL-2320
McMaster University
905-525-9140 x 22244
magarv@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Natural Product Biosynthesis & Drug Discovery
• Microbial Metabolomics
• Small Molecule/chemical signaling

Jakob Magolan, PhD

Associate Professor,
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Boris Family Chair in Drug Discovery
Joint Member, Chemistry and Chemical Biology

MDCL 2306
McMaster University
magolanj@mcmaster.ca
905-525-9140 ext. 22268

Research

• Pre-Clinical Drug Discovery and Development
• Organic Synthetic Methods

In collaboration with biologists and biochemists, we pursue the discovery and pre-clinical development of pharmaceutical leads in a variety of therapeutic areas including: antimicrobial, anti-pancreatic cancer, and anti-depression. We specialize in the chemical synthesis of lead compounds and their structural derivatives with a particular interest in natural product-based leads.

Our laboratory is also engaged in the development new strategies and methodologies for the efficient chemical synthesis. Our current areas of focus include:

1. new synthetic approaches to rare or unknown heterocyclic scaffolds;
2. expanding the versatility of simple inexpensive substrates like dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as synthetic building blocks; and
3. use of heterogeneous reagents to enhance procedural efficiency and minimize the environmental impact of organic synthesis

Jakob Magolan, PhD

Associate Professor,
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Boris Family Chair in Drug Discovery
Joint Member, Chemistry and Chemical Biology

MDCL 2306
McMaster University
magolanj@mcmaster.ca
905-525-9140 ext. 22268

Research

• Pre-Clinical Drug Discovery and Development
• Organic Synthetic Methods

In collaboration with biologists and biochemists, we pursue the discovery and pre-clinical development of pharmaceutical leads in a variety of therapeutic areas including: antimicrobial, anti-pancreatic cancer, and anti-depression. We specialize in the chemical synthesis of lead compounds and their structural derivatives with a particular interest in natural product-based leads.

Our laboratory is also engaged in the development new strategies and methodologies for the efficient chemical synthesis. Our current areas of focus include:

1. new synthetic approaches to rare or unknown heterocyclic scaffolds;
2. expanding the versatility of simple inexpensive substrates like dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as synthetic building blocks; and
3. use of heterogeneous reagents to enhance procedural efficiency and minimize the environmental impact of organic synthesis

Andrew McArthur, PhD

Director, Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization Program

Associate Professor,
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

MDCL 2322
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 21663
mcarthua@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Biological database design and predictive analytics, particularly in the areas of antimicrobial drug resistance and molecular epidemiology
• Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (arpcard.mcmaster.ca)
• Development of Integrated Health Biosystems research at McMaster University, bridging data-intensive biomedical research and clinical healthcare
• Bioinformatics workflows and Cloud computing for gene expression, gene regulation, and population genomics
• Next generation DNA sequence analysis, genome assembly, and genome annotation
• Molecular phylogenetics and phylogenomics
• Ecotoxicogenomics of environmental contaminants (metals, organics, pharmaceuticals) using zebrafish, mouse, and other model systems.

The McArthur laboratory’s research program is rooted in bioinformatics, functional genomics, and computational biology. It spans complex informatics approaches to the functional genomics of microbial drug resistance, development of biological databases, next generation sequencing for genome assembly and molecular epidemiology, automated literature curation approaches, controlled vocabularies for biological knowledge integration, and functional genomics approaches in environmental toxicology. As part of our Cisco funded program, we additionally research the use and generation of ‘Big Data’ in the biomedical sciences, with the goal of integrating biomedical research and clinical healthcare.

Andrew McArthur, PhD

Director, Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization Program

Associate Professor,
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

MDCL 2322
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 21663
mcarthua@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Biological database design and predictive analytics, particularly in the areas of antimicrobial drug resistance and molecular epidemiology
• Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (arpcard.mcmaster.ca)
• Development of Integrated Health Biosystems research at McMaster University, bridging data-intensive biomedical research and clinical healthcare
• Bioinformatics workflows and Cloud computing for gene expression, gene regulation, and population genomics
• Next generation DNA sequence analysis, genome assembly, and genome annotation
• Molecular phylogenetics and phylogenomics
• Ecotoxicogenomics of environmental contaminants (metals, organics, pharmaceuticals) using zebrafish, mouse, and other model systems.

The McArthur laboratory’s research program is rooted in bioinformatics, functional genomics, and computational biology. It spans complex informatics approaches to the functional genomics of microbial drug resistance, development of biological databases, next generation sequencing for genome assembly and molecular epidemiology, automated literature curation approaches, controlled vocabularies for biological knowledge integration, and functional genomics approaches in environmental toxicology. As part of our Cisco funded program, we additionally research the use and generation of ‘Big Data’ in the biomedical sciences, with the goal of integrating biomedical research and clinical healthcare.

Matthew Miller, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

Associate Chair and Assistant Dean, Biochemistry Graduate Program

MDCL 2324
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22387
mmiller@mcmaster.ca

Research

The Miller Laboratory is focused on understanding the intimate relationship between viral pathogens and their hosts. Upon infection, both the innate and the adaptive branches of the immune system are mobilized with the aim of protecting the host from virus-mediated pathologies. However, improper regulation of anti-viral immune responses can themselves lead to disease. In addition, viruses have – and continue to – evolve elegant strategies through which to avoid host-mediated immune recognition. Thus, understanding the qualities of immune responses which are effective in protecting the host, as well as those qualities that may cause harm, is essential to informing the development of novel vaccines and therapeutics. The Miller Laboratory is therefore interested in issues concerning both of the (1) innate and (2) adaptive branches of the antiviral response:

• The type I interferon system represents the primary innate response pathway initiated upon viral infection. Type I interferons elicit potent cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic mechanisms to combat infection. However, when improperly regulated, these responses can lead to devastating immunopathologies. Polymorphisms in genes responsible for regulation of the type I interferon response can therefore have a profound effect on the outcome of viral infections. Our group is interested in understanding how host genetics contribute to the pathological outcome of viral infections. Identification and characterization of these factors will be used to inform more personalized approaches to the treatment of infectious diseases.




• Influenza A virus (IAV) presents a particularly formidable challenge to control by the humoral arm of the adaptive immune system. The virus has a segmented, RNA genome which is capable of both rapid mutation (contributing to “antigenic drift”), and re-assortment (which causes “antigenic shift”). These properties allow the virus to cause seasonal epidemics and periodic pandemics, respectively. Current-generation IAV vaccines must be administered seasonally, and provide optimal protection against only a very limited number of IAV strains. However, a new class of antibodies has recently been discovered which is capable of providing much more broad protection across multiple IAV subtypes. Our group is focused on understanding the immunobiology of these antibodies, how they are elicited, and how they may be useful for the generation of “universal” influenza virus vaccines and therapeutics.

Matthew Miller, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

Associate Chair and Assistant Dean, Biochemistry Graduate Program

MDCL 2324
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22387
mmiller@mcmaster.ca

Research

The Miller Laboratory is focused on understanding the intimate relationship between viral pathogens and their hosts. Upon infection, both the innate and the adaptive branches of the immune system are mobilized with the aim of protecting the host from virus-mediated pathologies. However, improper regulation of anti-viral immune responses can themselves lead to disease. In addition, viruses have – and continue to – evolve elegant strategies through which to avoid host-mediated immune recognition. Thus, understanding the qualities of immune responses which are effective in protecting the host, as well as those qualities that may cause harm, is essential to informing the development of novel vaccines and therapeutics. The Miller Laboratory is therefore interested in issues concerning both of the (1) innate and (2) adaptive branches of the antiviral response:

• The type I interferon system represents the primary innate response pathway initiated upon viral infection. Type I interferons elicit potent cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic mechanisms to combat infection. However, when improperly regulated, these responses can lead to devastating immunopathologies. Polymorphisms in genes responsible for regulation of the type I interferon response can therefore have a profound effect on the outcome of viral infections. Our group is interested in understanding how host genetics contribute to the pathological outcome of viral infections. Identification and characterization of these factors will be used to inform more personalized approaches to the treatment of infectious diseases.




• Influenza A virus (IAV) presents a particularly formidable challenge to control by the humoral arm of the adaptive immune system. The virus has a segmented, RNA genome which is capable of both rapid mutation (contributing to “antigenic drift”), and re-assortment (which causes “antigenic shift”). These properties allow the virus to cause seasonal epidemics and periodic pandemics, respectively. Current-generation IAV vaccines must be administered seasonally, and provide optimal protection against only a very limited number of IAV strains. However, a new class of antibodies has recently been discovered which is capable of providing much more broad protection across multiple IAV subtypes. Our group is focused on understanding the immunobiology of these antibodies, how they are elicited, and how they may be useful for the generation of “universal” influenza virus vaccines and therapeutics.

Caitlin Mullarkey, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

Associate Chair, Biochemistry Undergraduate Program

McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 20705
mullarkc@mcmaster.ca

Research

Dr. Caitlin Mullarkey is a Teaching Professor and the Associate Chair of Undergraduate Education in the department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences. She is focused on providing undergraduates with a rigorous and cutting-edge scientific education that will allow them to excel in diverse careers and graduate/professional school. At the heart of her approach to teaching is student-centered active learning, which encourages cooperation between students and facilitates a collaborative approach to the learning process. Drawing on her own background in research, the pedagogical strategies she utilizes emphasize that information and knowledge are dynamic, therefore problems and solutions evolve over time. With extensive training and expertise in infectious disease and vaccine development, she teaches virology, cell biology, biochemistry, and immunology to undergraduates at all levels. She is keenly interested in developing new curricula and her current scholarship centers on exploring advanced methods of delivering learning content. Working alongside Dr. Felicia Vulcu, she designed and launched a massive open online course (MOOC) called DNA Decoded (www.coursera.org/learn/dna-decoded). Her ongoing research projects include evaluating the integration of virtual reality labs into both laboratory and non-laboratory courses, technology enhanced learning, and other innovative methods to bridge the gap between scientific theory and practice.

Dr. Mullarkey received her doctorate from the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. She subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in viral immunology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York City) under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Palese. She is the 2019-2020 recipient of the McMaster Student Union Teaching Award for the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Caitlin Mullarkey, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

Associate Chair, Biochemistry Undergraduate Program

McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 20705
mullarkc@mcmaster.ca

Research

Dr. Caitlin Mullarkey is a Teaching Professor and the Associate Chair of Undergraduate Education in the department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences. She is focused on providing undergraduates with a rigorous and cutting-edge scientific education that will allow them to excel in diverse careers and graduate/professional school. At the heart of her approach to teaching is student-centered active learning, which encourages cooperation between students and facilitates a collaborative approach to the learning process. Drawing on her own background in research, the pedagogical strategies she utilizes emphasize that information and knowledge are dynamic, therefore problems and solutions evolve over time. With extensive training and expertise in infectious disease and vaccine development, she teaches virology, cell biology, biochemistry, and immunology to undergraduates at all levels. She is keenly interested in developing new curricula and her current scholarship centers on exploring advanced methods of delivering learning content. Working alongside Dr. Felicia Vulcu, she designed and launched a massive open online course (MOOC) called DNA Decoded (www.coursera.org/learn/dna-decoded). Her ongoing research projects include evaluating the integration of virtual reality labs into both laboratory and non-laboratory courses, technology enhanced learning, and other innovative methods to bridge the gap between scientific theory and practice.

Dr. Mullarkey received her doctorate from the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. She subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in viral immunology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York City) under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Palese. She is the 2019-2020 recipient of the McMaster Student Union Teaching Award for the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Jonathan D. Schertzer, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

HSC 4H19
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22254
schertze@mcmaster.ca

Research

The inability to respond to insulin is the major cause of type 2 diabetes. This insulin resistance precedes overt diabetes thereby providing therapeutic window to prevent the disease. Obesity is the main cause of insulin resistance and inflammation has emerged as a key link between obesity and insulin resistance. How does obesity cause inflammation and how does inflammation cause insulin resistance leading to diabetes? My laboratory is interested in understanding these problems inImmunoMetabolism and how dietary and bacterial factors connect immunology and metabolism.

My laboratory uses physiology in genetic mouse models coupled with cell biology and biochemistry to understand the inflammatory basis of metabolic disease. Using our ImmunoMetabolism expertise, we collaborate with immunologists, microbiologists and gastroenterologists in order to understand how the food we eat and the bacteria that colonize us can cause (or prevent) metabolic diseases. This work is particularly interested in how the bacterial cell wall component, peptidoglycan, and dietary factors such as saturated fat propagate inflammation and alter metabolism via nucleotide oligomerization domain (Nod) proteins. This research has important implications for understanding the inflammatory underpinnings of obesity and diabetes, and is complimentary to ongoing collaborative research on energy sensors and fat/glucose metabolism during obesity.

My laboratory is also very interested in the role of inflammation in muscle diseases (i.e. myopathies). This builds on a long standing interest in basic science and therapeutics targeted to muscle using both endocrine and gene therapy approaches. Given that statin drugs are the first line treatment for obesity/diabetes related cardiovascular disease, we are particularly interested in immunity and statin-induced myopathy. Working with the world-renowned neuromuscular clinic at McMaster University, we bridge basic aspects of muscle biology and clinical treatment of myopathies such as muscular dystrophy, cancer cachexia, sarcopenia (aging) and inflammatory myopthies.

Selected Publications

• Gehrig SM, et al. HSP72 preserves muscle function and slows progression of severe muscular dystrophy. Nature, 484: 394-398, 2012
• Hawley SA, et al. The ancient drug salicylate directly activates AMP-activated protein kinase. Science, Apr 19, 2012
• Galic S, et al. Hematopoietic AMPK?1 reduces murine adipose tissue macrophage inflammation and hepatic insulin resistance in obesity. J Clin Invest, 121: 4903-4915, 2011
• O ‘Neill HM, et al. AMPK?1?2 muscle null mice reveal an essential role for AMPK in maintaining mitochondrial content and glucose uptake during exercise. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 108: 16092-7, 2011
• Schertzer JD and Klip A. Give a NOD to Insulin Resistance. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 301: E585-6, 2011
• Schertzer JD, et al. NOD1 activators link innate immunity to insulin resistance. Diabetes 60: 2206-15, 2011
• Tamrakar AK, et al. NOD2 activation induces muscle cell-autonomous innate immune responses and insulin resistance. Endocrinology 151: 5624-5637, 2010
• Schertzer JD, et al. A transgenic mouse model to study GLUT4myc regulation in skeletal muscle. Endocrinology 150:1935-40, 2009
• Schertzer JD, et al. Modulation of IGF-I and IGFBP interactions enhances skeletal muscle regeneration and ameliorates the dystrophic pathology in mdx mice. Am J Pathol 171: 1180-8, 2007
• Schertzer JD and Lynch GS. Comparative evaluation of IGF-I gene transfer and IGF-I protein administration for enhancing skeletal muscle regeneration after injury. Gene Ther 13: 1657-64, 2006
• Schertzer JD, et al. Optimizing plasmid-based gene transfer for investigating skeletal muscle structure and function. Mol Ther 13: 795-803, 2006

Jonathan D. Schertzer, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

HSC 4H19
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22254
schertze@mcmaster.ca

Research

The inability to respond to insulin is the major cause of type 2 diabetes. This insulin resistance precedes overt diabetes thereby providing therapeutic window to prevent the disease. Obesity is the main cause of insulin resistance and inflammation has emerged as a key link between obesity and insulin resistance. How does obesity cause inflammation and how does inflammation cause insulin resistance leading to diabetes? My laboratory is interested in understanding these problems inImmunoMetabolism and how dietary and bacterial factors connect immunology and metabolism.

My laboratory uses physiology in genetic mouse models coupled with cell biology and biochemistry to understand the inflammatory basis of metabolic disease. Using our ImmunoMetabolism expertise, we collaborate with immunologists, microbiologists and gastroenterologists in order to understand how the food we eat and the bacteria that colonize us can cause (or prevent) metabolic diseases. This work is particularly interested in how the bacterial cell wall component, peptidoglycan, and dietary factors such as saturated fat propagate inflammation and alter metabolism via nucleotide oligomerization domain (Nod) proteins. This research has important implications for understanding the inflammatory underpinnings of obesity and diabetes, and is complimentary to ongoing collaborative research on energy sensors and fat/glucose metabolism during obesity.

My laboratory is also very interested in the role of inflammation in muscle diseases (i.e. myopathies). This builds on a long standing interest in basic science and therapeutics targeted to muscle using both endocrine and gene therapy approaches. Given that statin drugs are the first line treatment for obesity/diabetes related cardiovascular disease, we are particularly interested in immunity and statin-induced myopathy. Working with the world-renowned neuromuscular clinic at McMaster University, we bridge basic aspects of muscle biology and clinical treatment of myopathies such as muscular dystrophy, cancer cachexia, sarcopenia (aging) and inflammatory myopthies.

Selected Publications

• Gehrig SM, et al. HSP72 preserves muscle function and slows progression of severe muscular dystrophy. Nature, 484: 394-398, 2012
• Hawley SA, et al. The ancient drug salicylate directly activates AMP-activated protein kinase. Science, Apr 19, 2012
• Galic S, et al. Hematopoietic AMPK?1 reduces murine adipose tissue macrophage inflammation and hepatic insulin resistance in obesity. J Clin Invest, 121: 4903-4915, 2011
• O ‘Neill HM, et al. AMPK?1?2 muscle null mice reveal an essential role for AMPK in maintaining mitochondrial content and glucose uptake during exercise. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 108: 16092-7, 2011
• Schertzer JD and Klip A. Give a NOD to Insulin Resistance. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 301: E585-6, 2011
• Schertzer JD, et al. NOD1 activators link innate immunity to insulin resistance. Diabetes 60: 2206-15, 2011
• Tamrakar AK, et al. NOD2 activation induces muscle cell-autonomous innate immune responses and insulin resistance. Endocrinology 151: 5624-5637, 2010
• Schertzer JD, et al. A transgenic mouse model to study GLUT4myc regulation in skeletal muscle. Endocrinology 150:1935-40, 2009
• Schertzer JD, et al. Modulation of IGF-I and IGFBP interactions enhances skeletal muscle regeneration and ameliorates the dystrophic pathology in mdx mice. Am J Pathol 171: 1180-8, 2007
• Schertzer JD and Lynch GS. Comparative evaluation of IGF-I gene transfer and IGF-I protein administration for enhancing skeletal muscle regeneration after injury. Gene Ther 13: 1657-64, 2006
• Schertzer JD, et al. Optimizing plasmid-based gene transfer for investigating skeletal muscle structure and function. Mol Ther 13: 795-803, 2006

Deborah Sloboda, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Associate Member, Pediatrics

Canada Research Chair in Perinatal Programming

HSC 4H21
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22250
sloboda@mcmaster.ca

Visit Deb Sloboda’s webpage

Research

• Perinatal programming
• Reproduction
• Metabolism

There is now no doubt that events occurring before birth influence weight gain, deposition of body fat and metabolic function during childhood and beyond. The increase in childhood obesity in recent decades has been more rapid than can be explained purely by genetic susceptibility or diet. Poor maternal nutrition and maternal stress both have long-term effects on offspring growth and development and increase risk of disease in adulthood. Recent studies also highlight the impact that early life events have on later reproductive function. Over the past century, the average age at which girls have their first menstrual period (the age at menarche) has advanced considerably. New evidence, across a number of populations, suggests that nutrition before and in the period following birth influences the processes leading to reproductive maturity.

Dr Sloboda’s laboratory investigates the impact of poor maternal nutrition on the developing fetus and how it influences the risk of non-communicable disease later in life. Her experimental studies investigate the effects of maternal nutrient manipulation combined with a changing postnatal diet on pubertal onset, ovarian development and maturation, metabolic function and the role of underlying epigenetic processes. Dr Sloboda’s laboratory seeks to understand the relationship between maternal nutrition and offspring phenotype, investigating how maternal nutritional history influences placental development and how altered placental development and function contributes to altered offspring phenotype. Her recent work has expanded to include circadian biology and the understanding of how the intrauterine environment influences circadian regulation in the offspring.

After completing her PhD in Physiology at the University of Toronto Dr Sloboda was awarded the Forrest Fetal Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Women’s and Infants’ Research Foundation, at The University of Western Australia. In 2006 she joined The Liggins Institute at The University of Auckland where she investigated the effects of maternal high fat nutrition on maternal care and associated changes in reproductive function in offspring and grand-offspring. From 2008-2011 Dr Sloboda was the Deputy Director of the National Research Centre for Growth and Development at the University of Auckland. She is a member of the Executive Council of the Society for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. She also holds cross appointments in the Depts of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics at McMaster.

Potential Graduate Student Projects

• Maternal nutritional compromise: effects on offspring ovarian clock gene signalling
• Role of melatonin in regulating reproductive and metabolic function in programmed animals
• Maternal obesity and offspring reproductive and metabolic outcome

Selected Publications

• Vickers MH and Sloboda DM. (2012) Leptin as mediator of the effects of developmental programming.Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. In press
• Connor, KL, Vickers MH, Meaney M, Beltrand J and Sloboda DM (2012). Nature, nurture or nutrition? Impact of maternal nutrition on maternal care, offspring development and reproductive function. Journal of PhysiologyMar 12. [Epub ahead of print].
• Beltrand J, Sloboda DM, Connor KL, Truong M and Vickers MH. (2012). The effect of neonatal leptin antagonism in male rat offspring is dependent upon prior maternal nutritional status and post-weaning diet. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism 2012: 296935. Epub 2012 Apr 2.
• Howie, GJ, Sloboda DM, Vickers MH. (2011). Maternal undernutrition during critical windows of development results in differential and sex specific effects on postnatal adiposity and related metabolic profiles in adult rat offspring. British Journal of Nutrition Oct 11: 1-10.
• Dudley K, Sloboda DM, Connor KL, Beltrand J, and Vickers MH (2011) Offspring of mothers fed a high fat diet during pregnancy and lactation display hepatic cell-cycle inhibition and associated changes in gene expression and DNA methylation PLoS ONE; 6(7):e21662.
• Braun T, Li S, Moss TJM, Connor KL, Doherty DA, Newnham JP, Challis JRG and Sloboda DM (2011) Differential expression of prostaglandin H synthase type 2 in sheep placentome subtypes after betamethasone treatment late in gestation. Placenta 32(4):295-303.
• Vickers MH, Clayton Z, Yap C and Sloboda DM (2011) High fructose intake during pregnancy leads to altered placental development and gender-specific changes in fetal and neonatal endocrine development Endocrinology 152(4):1378-87.
• Sloboda DM Hickey M, Hart R. Reproduction in females: the role of the early life environment. (2011) Human Reproduction Update; 17(2):210-27.
• Bernal AB, Vickers MH, Hampton MB, Poyton R, Sloboda DM (2010) Maternal nutrition significantly impacts ovarian follicle numbers and increases ovarian oxidative stress in adult rat offspring. PLoS One 5(12): e15558.
• Whitehouse AJ, Mayberry MT, Hickey M, Sloboda DM. (2010) Brief Report: Autism-like traits in childhood predict later age at menarche in girls. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders; 41(8):1125-30.
• Vickers MH and Sloboda DM. (2010) Prenatal nutritional influences on offspring risk of obesity. (2010) Nutrition and Dietary Supplements 2010:2 137?149.
• Connor KL, Vickers MH, Cupido C, Sirimanne E and Sloboda DM (2010). Maternal high fat diet during critical windows of development alters adrenal cortical and medullary enzyme expression in adult male rat offspring. Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. 1(4), 245-254.
• Hickey M, Doherty DA, Hart R, Norman RJ, Mattes E, Atkinson HC, Sloboda DM. (2010) Maternal and umbilical cord androgen concentrations do not predict digit ratio (2D:4D) in girls: A prospective cohort study. Psychoneuroendocrinology: 35(8):1235-1244.
• Hart R, Sloboda DM, Doherty D, Norman R, Atkinson H, Newnham JP, Dickinson J, Hickey M (2009) Prenatal determinants of uterine volume and ovarian reserve in adolescence. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism Dec;94(12):4931-7.
• Sloboda DM, Howie G., Gluckman PD., Vickers M.H. (2009) Pre- and postnatal nutritional histories influence reproductive maturation and ovarian function in the rat. PLoS One. Aug 25;4(8):e6744.
• Sloboda DM, Beedle A, Cupido C, Gluckman PD, Vickers MH. (2009) Impaired perinatal growth and longevity: a life history perspective. Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research 2009:608740. Epub 2009 Sep 6.
• Hickey M, Sloboda DM, Atkinson, H, Doherty D, Franks S, Norman, R, Newnham, JP, Hart R. (2009) The relationship between maternal and umbilical cord androgen levels and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in adolescence: A prospective cohort study. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism Oct;94 (10):3714-20.
• Howie G, Sloboda DM, Kamal T, Vickers MH. (2009) A maternal high fat diet preconceptionally and/or throughout pregnancy and lactation leads to obesity in offspring independent of postnatal diet. Journal of Physiology 587 (4): 905-915.

Deborah Sloboda, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Associate Member, Pediatrics

Canada Research Chair in Perinatal Programming

HSC 4H21
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22250
sloboda@mcmaster.ca

Visit Deb Sloboda’s webpage

Research

• Perinatal programming
• Reproduction
• Metabolism

There is now no doubt that events occurring before birth influence weight gain, deposition of body fat and metabolic function during childhood and beyond. The increase in childhood obesity in recent decades has been more rapid than can be explained purely by genetic susceptibility or diet. Poor maternal nutrition and maternal stress both have long-term effects on offspring growth and development and increase risk of disease in adulthood. Recent studies also highlight the impact that early life events have on later reproductive function. Over the past century, the average age at which girls have their first menstrual period (the age at menarche) has advanced considerably. New evidence, across a number of populations, suggests that nutrition before and in the period following birth influences the processes leading to reproductive maturity.

Dr Sloboda’s laboratory investigates the impact of poor maternal nutrition on the developing fetus and how it influences the risk of non-communicable disease later in life. Her experimental studies investigate the effects of maternal nutrient manipulation combined with a changing postnatal diet on pubertal onset, ovarian development and maturation, metabolic function and the role of underlying epigenetic processes. Dr Sloboda’s laboratory seeks to understand the relationship between maternal nutrition and offspring phenotype, investigating how maternal nutritional history influences placental development and how altered placental development and function contributes to altered offspring phenotype. Her recent work has expanded to include circadian biology and the understanding of how the intrauterine environment influences circadian regulation in the offspring.

After completing her PhD in Physiology at the University of Toronto Dr Sloboda was awarded the Forrest Fetal Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Women’s and Infants’ Research Foundation, at The University of Western Australia. In 2006 she joined The Liggins Institute at The University of Auckland where she investigated the effects of maternal high fat nutrition on maternal care and associated changes in reproductive function in offspring and grand-offspring. From 2008-2011 Dr Sloboda was the Deputy Director of the National Research Centre for Growth and Development at the University of Auckland. She is a member of the Executive Council of the Society for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. She also holds cross appointments in the Depts of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics at McMaster.

Potential Graduate Student Projects

• Maternal nutritional compromise: effects on offspring ovarian clock gene signalling
• Role of melatonin in regulating reproductive and metabolic function in programmed animals
• Maternal obesity and offspring reproductive and metabolic outcome

Selected Publications

• Vickers MH and Sloboda DM. (2012) Leptin as mediator of the effects of developmental programming.Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. In press
• Connor, KL, Vickers MH, Meaney M, Beltrand J and Sloboda DM (2012). Nature, nurture or nutrition? Impact of maternal nutrition on maternal care, offspring development and reproductive function. Journal of PhysiologyMar 12. [Epub ahead of print].
• Beltrand J, Sloboda DM, Connor KL, Truong M and Vickers MH. (2012). The effect of neonatal leptin antagonism in male rat offspring is dependent upon prior maternal nutritional status and post-weaning diet. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism 2012: 296935. Epub 2012 Apr 2.
• Howie, GJ, Sloboda DM, Vickers MH. (2011). Maternal undernutrition during critical windows of development results in differential and sex specific effects on postnatal adiposity and related metabolic profiles in adult rat offspring. British Journal of Nutrition Oct 11: 1-10.
• Dudley K, Sloboda DM, Connor KL, Beltrand J, and Vickers MH (2011) Offspring of mothers fed a high fat diet during pregnancy and lactation display hepatic cell-cycle inhibition and associated changes in gene expression and DNA methylation PLoS ONE; 6(7):e21662.
• Braun T, Li S, Moss TJM, Connor KL, Doherty DA, Newnham JP, Challis JRG and Sloboda DM (2011) Differential expression of prostaglandin H synthase type 2 in sheep placentome subtypes after betamethasone treatment late in gestation. Placenta 32(4):295-303.
• Vickers MH, Clayton Z, Yap C and Sloboda DM (2011) High fructose intake during pregnancy leads to altered placental development and gender-specific changes in fetal and neonatal endocrine development Endocrinology 152(4):1378-87.
• Sloboda DM Hickey M, Hart R. Reproduction in females: the role of the early life environment. (2011) Human Reproduction Update; 17(2):210-27.
• Bernal AB, Vickers MH, Hampton MB, Poyton R, Sloboda DM (2010) Maternal nutrition significantly impacts ovarian follicle numbers and increases ovarian oxidative stress in adult rat offspring. PLoS One 5(12): e15558.
• Whitehouse AJ, Mayberry MT, Hickey M, Sloboda DM. (2010) Brief Report: Autism-like traits in childhood predict later age at menarche in girls. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders; 41(8):1125-30.
• Vickers MH and Sloboda DM. (2010) Prenatal nutritional influences on offspring risk of obesity. (2010) Nutrition and Dietary Supplements 2010:2 137?149.
• Connor KL, Vickers MH, Cupido C, Sirimanne E and Sloboda DM (2010). Maternal high fat diet during critical windows of development alters adrenal cortical and medullary enzyme expression in adult male rat offspring. Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. 1(4), 245-254.
• Hickey M, Doherty DA, Hart R, Norman RJ, Mattes E, Atkinson HC, Sloboda DM. (2010) Maternal and umbilical cord androgen concentrations do not predict digit ratio (2D:4D) in girls: A prospective cohort study. Psychoneuroendocrinology: 35(8):1235-1244.
• Hart R, Sloboda DM, Doherty D, Norman R, Atkinson H, Newnham JP, Dickinson J, Hickey M (2009) Prenatal determinants of uterine volume and ovarian reserve in adolescence. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism Dec;94(12):4931-7.
• Sloboda DM, Howie G., Gluckman PD., Vickers M.H. (2009) Pre- and postnatal nutritional histories influence reproductive maturation and ovarian function in the rat. PLoS One. Aug 25;4(8):e6744.
• Sloboda DM, Beedle A, Cupido C, Gluckman PD, Vickers MH. (2009) Impaired perinatal growth and longevity: a life history perspective. Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research 2009:608740. Epub 2009 Sep 6.
• Hickey M, Sloboda DM, Atkinson, H, Doherty D, Franks S, Norman, R, Newnham, JP, Hart R. (2009) The relationship between maternal and umbilical cord androgen levels and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in adolescence: A prospective cohort study. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism Oct;94 (10):3714-20.
• Howie G, Sloboda DM, Kamal T, Vickers MH. (2009) A maternal high fat diet preconceptionally and/or throughout pregnancy and lactation leads to obesity in offspring independent of postnatal diet. Journal of Physiology 587 (4): 905-915.

Felicia Vulcu, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Office 4H43 – Lab 1H6, Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 x22838
vulcuf@mcmaster.ca

Felicia Vulcu, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Office 4H43 – Lab 1H6, Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 x22838
vulcuf@mcmaster.ca

John Whitney, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Member, Michael DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research

MDCL 2108
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22280
jwhitney@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Interbacterial competition
• Microbial communities
• Bacterial cell surface structures
• Structure/function of bacterial toxins

Type VI Secretion:

The bacterial type VI secretion system is a recently identified protein translocation pathway used by Gram-negative bacteria to deliver toxins to neighbouring bacteria in a cell contact-dependent manner. We are interested in understanding how these antibacterial proteins are transported from one cell to another and how they exert toxicity once delivered to a target cell. By understanding the molecular principles underlying this process it is our long term goal to be able to rationally manipulate bacterial populations relevant to human health.

Bacterial Adhesion:

Many species of bacteria exist in dense cellular aggregates held together by bacterially produced exopolysaccharides. In this form, bacteria are difficult to eradicate due in part to decreased efficacy of antibiotics. We are interested in determining how bacterial exopolysaccharides are synthesized and exported from the cell. By understanding how this process occurs at the molecular level, we hope to one day be able to inhibit exopolysaccharide secretion under circumstances where it is detrimental to human activities (i.e. biofouling of pipes, colonization of indwelling medical devices, etc.).

Visit John Whitney’s Homepage

John Whitney, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Member, Michael DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research

MDCL 2108
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22280
jwhitney@mcmaster.ca

Research

• Interbacterial competition
• Microbial communities
• Bacterial cell surface structures
• Structure/function of bacterial toxins

Type VI Secretion:

The bacterial type VI secretion system is a recently identified protein translocation pathway used by Gram-negative bacteria to deliver toxins to neighbouring bacteria in a cell contact-dependent manner. We are interested in understanding how these antibacterial proteins are transported from one cell to another and how they exert toxicity once delivered to a target cell. By understanding the molecular principles underlying this process it is our long term goal to be able to rationally manipulate bacterial populations relevant to human health.

Bacterial Adhesion:

Many species of bacteria exist in dense cellular aggregates held together by bacterially produced exopolysaccharides. In this form, bacteria are difficult to eradicate due in part to decreased efficacy of antibiotics. We are interested in determining how bacterial exopolysaccharides are synthesized and exported from the cell. By understanding how this process occurs at the molecular level, we hope to one day be able to inhibit exopolysaccharide secretion under circumstances where it is detrimental to human activities (i.e. biofouling of pipes, colonization of indwelling medical devices, etc.).

Visit John Whitney’s Homepage

Gerard D. Wright, PhD

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Director, Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research

Canada Research Chair in Antimicrobial Biochemistry

MDCL-2301
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22664
wrightge@mcmaster.ca

Visit Gerry Wright’s Homepage

Gerard D. Wright, PhD

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Director, Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research

Canada Research Chair in Antimicrobial Biochemistry

MDCL-2301
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22664
wrightge@mcmaster.ca

Visit Gerry Wright’s Homepage

Daniel S.-C. Yang, PhD

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

4N20A Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22455
yang@mcmaster.ca

Daniel S.-C. Yang, PhD

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

4N20A Health Sciences Centre
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22455
yang@mcmaster.ca