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Group Leader |
Dr. Malcolm Whiteway
Tel.: (514) 496-6146
Fax: (514) 496-6213
E-mail: Malcolm.Whiteway@cnrc-nrc.gc.ca
The NRC-BRI Genetics Group has an international reputation in fungal genetics and genomics. We were key players in the assembly of the Candida albicans genome, and headed the international effort to annotate this genome in collaboration with scientists around the world. Our ongoing research investigates this medically important fungal pathogen in the search for ways to prevent infections in humans.
Our lab is also internationally recognized for its research into signal transduction in yeast cells, and we also study mammalian signaling with a focus on control of cell survival.
Our Research
Our C. albicans research focuses on changes in gene expression that occur when the fungus responds to environmental signals that are important factors in its virulence. We use an array of genetic approaches to investigate proteins involved in this switch.
Services
- Research collaborations to address the needs of partners
- Access to advanced technologies and a broad range of scientists who publish regularly in leading scientific journals
- Microarray facility
- Monoclonal antibody production
- C. albicans chips
- Transcriptional and location profiling
- Standard and in-house developed cytoplasmic yeast 2-hybrid systems
- Fluorescent microscopy
- Level II facility for fungal culture and molecular analysis
Research Examples
Transcriptional profiling
We use DNA chips in transcriptional profiling studies of how C. albicans responds to stresses, to signals controlling morphological transitions, and to pheromones.
C. albicans-host interaction
In the search for ways to block fungal invasion, we study the interaction between C. albicans and the human host - in particular the host's global transcription profile when it responds to C. albicans.
Yeast signaling
Our studies of how external signals control cellular behaviour in the brewer's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae could be used to improve the yield of bioproducts from complex fermentation mixtures.
Cell survival
Our group has made significant discoveries in establishing the role of the adaptor protein Grb10 in cell survival. Grb10 is highly expressed in breast cancer and involved in a variety of signaling events that promote cell division and the modulation of apoptosis, or programmed cell death.
Our Business Approach
The Genetics Group welcomes:
- collaborations with scientists from the private sector and academia who are involved in studies of fungal disease and pathology, and with companies interested in genetically engineering yeasts for commercial use.
- partnerships with biotechnology companies interested in exploiting knowledge of important cellular functions to develop therapeutics.
