This proposal focuses on developing a detailed commercialization strategy for a next-generation 3D tissue culture technology aimed at addressing key challenges in lung disease research. While advanced 3D culture methods can more accurately represent human physiology than traditional approaches, many of these systems remain expensive, complicated, or heavily reliant on specialized infrastructure. By contrast, our […]

The project has five steps: 1. Identification of the microbiota associated with the rhizosphere of five economically important crops in the province of Chimborazo, Ecuador; 2. Isolate and select micro-organism strains that are likely to contribute efficiently to the development of the crops; 3. Using field trials, determine the efficiency of the selected micro-orgranisms; 4. […]

Nature is experiencing an ever-changing world where dramatic environmental changes require species to adapt rapidly to new conditions. As a result, understanding when species can rapidly adapt and persist has become crucial to ensuring the preservation of vulnerable populations such as freshwater ecosystems. The current project addresses our limited understanding of the parallelism of adaptation […]

Light can be used to control biological processes in living cells, a technique called optogenetics. Originally developed to control neural activity, optogenetics has been expanded to control protein interactions and gene expression with a high degree of spatial and temporal control. This has opened exciting possibilities in developmental biology and tissue engineering. However, current optogenetic […]

This project investigates the SPbeta bacteriophage, a model organism in phage biology with significant implications for microbiology and biotechnology. The primary objective is to develop and refine methods for its purification and biochemical characterization, enabling a detailed analysis of its structure and function. Using targeted deletion mutants, we aim to identify key genes and proteins […]

Outside the temperate zones, thermal biology (i.e., energy expenditure, microclimate choices) of bats is poorly understood. This leaves wildlife managers with little ability to set conservation priorities for tropical and sub-tropical bats in response to extreme heat events due to climate change and infectious disease. A recent risk assessment predicted that the disease white-nose syndrome […]

This internship project focuses on developing optimized DNA sequences, known as signal peptides, to enhance the secretion of proteins produced by bacteria. Signal peptides are critical for secreting proteins out of the bacterial cell, facilitating their purification and downstream processing. Under the guidance of Dr. Susana Matamouros and Professor Michael Bott, a leading expert in […]

Le mélèze laricin (Larix laricina) serait une espèce intéressante pour la production de matière ligneuse (Bolghari and Bertrand, 1984). Dans les années 70, un programme d’amélioration génétique a commencé et l’hybride (L. ? marschlinsii Coaz.) entre le mélèze d’Europe (L. decidua) et le mélèze du Japon (L. kaempferi) s’est avéré très performant (Perron, 2011). Cependant, […]

Our lab has demonstrated that voluntary apneas (i.e., breath-holds) at high altitude cause decreases in heart rate in lowlander populations. Apneas at altitude also cause cardiac arrhythmias in a majority of lowlanders. Unlike lowlanders, native highlanders (e.g., Nepali Sherpa) do not get the same decreased heart rate and cardiac arrhythmias during voluntary apneas at high […]

This study aims to investigate the influence of same-sex sexual behaviour on reproductive success among Rwenzori Angolan colobus, a primate subspecies characterized by a multilevel social structure like that of early humans. Despite the supposed evolutionary paradox of same-sex sexual behaviour, given its perceived costliness and lack of direct reproductive output, recent research suggests it […]

Chronic shoulder injuries are common in athletes competing in overhead sports such as waterpolo, swimming and synchronized swimming. These injuries are costly both financially and in terms of performance to the athletes and sport organizations. The purpose of this project is to create new sport-specific clinical and functional assessment protocols and to improve training strategies […]

The proposed project aims to identify functional brain differences between people with different types of central disorders of hypersomnolence (narcolepsy type 1, narcolepsy type 2, and idiopathic hypersomnia) By combining data from over 1,800 participants from research sites across 21 countries, the project will reveal key brain differences that enhance our understanding of the underlying […]