U of T Researchers Receive Funding for Projects on Genetics, Computational Biology and Drug Discovery

Four faculty members at the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research have successfully secured funding through the Spring 2023 competition of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant program. The program supports researchers across Canada whose projects have the greatest potential, according to international standards of scientific excellence, for making advancements in health. Collectively, Brenda Andrews, Artem Babaian, Andrew Fraser and Philip M. Kim received more than $3.5 M in funding for projects to be executed over the next 3-5 years.

Determining the Impact of Genetic Interactions on Inheritable Disease

Brenda Andrews, university professor of molecular genetics and Canada Research Chair in Systems Genetics & Cell Biology, received funding for a five-year project on elucidating the connection between genetic interactions and trait heritability, particularly with respect to inheritable diseases. Genetic suppression via mutations, which is one type of genetic interaction, can prevent the physical manifestation of inherited disease. The Andrews lab will create a large-scale map of genetic suppression interactions in yeast, with the intention of applying their findings to human cells and disease.

Innovating Technology for Detecting and Monitoring RNA Viruses

Artem Babaian, assistant professor of molecular genetics, received funding for a three-year project on improving computational tools for detecting RNA viruses, like the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Babaian’s lab, The Laboratory for RNA-Based Lifeforms, is creating a new generation of unbiased viral diagnostics and building a database for monitoring disease-causing viruses found in people, crops, wildlife and environments around the world. As more than 99% of the world’s viruses remain unidentified, the lab will combine a cloud-computing platform for analyzing planetary-scale datasets with an AI tool with improved sensitivity for virus detection to prepare us better to respond to future pandemics.

Exploring Drug Options for Infection by Parasitic Worms

Andrew Fraser, professor of molecular genetics, received funding for a five-year project on finding drugs that eliminate parasites from the human gut. More than one billion people across the globe are infected by parasitic worms through contact with soil; children are especially vulnerable to the effects of these infections. The Fraser lab will be screening large libraries of new chemical compounds to find those that kill parasitic worms without harming the person carrying them. This would be accomplished by preventing the worms from producing a small molecule, called rhodoquinone, that is essential to their survival in the human gut. The lab has already found several new classes of possible drugs, and they plan to test those and many more on parasitic worms.

Developing a Gene Editing Tool for Direct Use in Patients

Philip M. Kim, professor of molecular genetics and computer science, received funding for a five-year project on designing Zinc Finger proteins for gene editing. Zinc Fingers are being explored as a tool for the direct genetic modification of patients being treated for genetic disorders. The Kim lab will be collaborating with Mikko Taipale, professor of molecular genetics and Canada Research Chair in Functional Proteomics and Proteostasis, who is based at the Donnelly Centre, and Lorraine Kalia, associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, to use AI and large-scale screens in the design of Zinc Fingers that target specific locations of the human genome.

"Our faculty at the Donnelly Centre are at the forefront of biomedical research in Canada," said Stephane Angers, professor of biochemistry and pharmaceutical sciences and director of the Donnelly Centre. "This is made clear by the success of four of our faculty members in securing more than $3.5 M in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for projects on genetics and infectious disease. I look forward to seeing what these faculty members achieve through their funded projects."