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Simon Fraser University
Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Correspondent: Christopher Beh

In the past few years, the MBB Department at SFU has seen notable changes including its partnership with the BC Genome Sciences Centre (operated by the BC Cancer Agency). Our ranks have now expanded to include 27 research faculty and >100 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. In this report, some of our recent successes are recounted along with details about other research and teaching achievements.


Department highlights. During the past year, several notable research honours and awards have been bestowed on our faculty. MBB Department Associate Professor Dr. Mark Brockman has taken a shared appointment with the SFU Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), which sponsored his successful Canada Research Chair (CRC) Tier 2 award in viral pathogenesis and immunity. The award supports Dr. Brockman's many collaborations including those involving the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and projects with colleagues in Africa. Dr. Brockman and SFU colleagues recently received funding from the Global Health Research Initiative for HIV/AIDS prevention trials in Sub-Saharan Africa. This project will enable African researchers to apply cross-disciplinary approaches to study HIV. Also, in recognition for her work on HIV, MBB Professor Dr. Jamie Scott successfully renewed her CRC Tier 1 award. Dr. Lynne Quarmby was named by the Vancouver Sun as one of the 100-most influential women in British Columbia, and a "woman of influence" in BC science and medicine. Dr. Rob Holt, a MBB faculty member and BC Cancer Agency scientist, made Time Magazine's top 10-list of medical breakthroughs in 2011 by discovering a link between human colorectal cancer and Fusobacterium infection. Dr. Steven Jones, a MBB Professor and head of the BC Cancer Agency's Genome Sciences Centre, was recognized for his work in genomics and named as a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Congratulations also to Dr. David Vocadlo, an associate MBB faculty member, for his award of a NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, which recognizes his research in the therapeutic targeting of O-linked glycosylation and chemical glycobiology. All of these notable distinctions are in addition to the many grants and awards obtained by MBB faculty from CIHR, NSERC, CCSRI, and MSFHR; we applaud all these efforts to bring excellence in research to SFU.


Faculty promotions. We congratulate Dr. Nicholas Harden on his promotion to Full Professor and Dr. Sharon Gorski for her success in obtaining tenure. Dr. Harden's research program has provided important insights into the signaling of Rho family small GTPases during dorsal closure in the Drosophila embryo. Dr. Gorski's work has focused on identifying regulators of autophagy and understanding their relationship to cancer development and therapy.


Teaching and student achievements. In addition to the MBB Department's strengths in research, we are particularly proud of our on-going mission to foster the advancement of our graduate and undergraduate students. As a superb example, Dr. Quarmby was nominated by her students for well-deserved SFU Excellence in Teaching Award. As a notable example of the success of our graduate students, Ms. Suraaj Aulakh, received a first place award in the SFU Business Concept Competition where Ms. Aulakh created a website (www.LabTricks.com) that helps other students understand lab techniques. This award follows Ms. Aulakh's win the previous year at the Gene Screen BC film competition for a short film on issues involving gene sequencing.