PhD candidate in molecular genetics wins global scholarship

perry.king — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 17:25:47 +0000

Research & Innovation

perry.king Thu, 07/18/2019 - 13:25

Students

St. George

Faculty of Medicine

Graduate Students

Molecular Genetics

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(photo by Perry King)

Chidozie Ojobor, a PhD candidate in the department of molecular genetics in the Faculty of Medicine, was named one of four recipients of the Global Citizen scholarship from MPOWER Financing, a Washington, D.C.-based company that offers loans to international students.

The $5,000 scholarships were awarded on the strength of applicants' essay submissions. Ojobor’s submission identified the need to address the threat of superbugs. By developing tailocins, Ojobor has been able to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the lab. His hope is that he can genetically engineer them to overpower superbugs as cases arise – with treatments in the form of pills and other therapies.

He is the first Canadian university student to win the scholarship. He was picked by MPOWER staff out of 1,121 eligible applications – which they cite as a record number of applicants.

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Mikko Taipale receives inaugural David Dime and Elisa Nuyten Catalyst Award in Molecular Genetics

perry.king — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 04:00:00 +0000

Mikko Taipale receives inaugural David Dime and Elisa Nuyten Catalyst Award in Molecular Genetics

Research & Innovation

perry.king Mon, 07/15/2019 - 00:00

Faculty

St. George

Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research

Faculty of Medicine

Molecular Genetics

Alumni

landscape

From left: Elisa Nuyten, Mikko Taipale,David Dime and Leah Cowen, chair of the department of molecular genetic(photo by Tim Westwood)

Mikko Taipale, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research and the Faculty of Medicine’s department of molecular genetics, is the inaugural recipient of the David Dime and Elisa Nuyten Catalyst Award in Molecular Genetics.

The award was established by U of T alumnus David Dime and his wife Elisa Nuyten to support exploratory research projects that are not obvious candidates for government funding. The $50,000 award will allow Taipale’s team to further develop a technology called PROTACs, for Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras, to reveal therapeutic targets in cancer cells.

Taipale, the Canada Research Chair in Functional Proteomics and Proteostasis, received the award at a recent symposium celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the department of molecular genetics.

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