Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences
The Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences does world-class research aimed at understanding the fundamental workings of cells and organisms in an effort to identify the underlying causes of human diseases. The Department’s research is diverse, with Investigators working in a wide range of the leading invertebrate and vertebrate model systems and using biochemical, molecular genetic, cellular and physiological approaches.The Department has particular strengths in neuroscience, endocrinology, development and cancer. The robust collaborative spirit between the Department’s Investigators drives increasingly multidisciplinary research programs in each laboratory. This includes the incorporation of the latest technologies in molecular biology, genetics, next-generation genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and genetically-engineered animal models to complement our expertise in cell biological and physiology. The research in the Department is also strengthened by our use of advanced imaging capabilities that includes EM, super-resolution, 2-photon, live-cell and high-throughput microscopy. Research in the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences is providing insight into the fundamental biological processes and pathologies that lie behind many diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, to name just a few.
The research in the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences is organized into six health themes:
- Neuroscience
- Regenerative Medicine
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular
- Cell and Developmental Biology
- Diabetes & Obesity
Research Supervisors
| Name | Research Interests |
|---|---|
| Accili, Eric | molecular mechanisms responsible for cellular pacemaking behavior |
| Allan, Douglas | Nervous system |
| Bamji, Shernaz | Medical and biomedical engineering; Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; neurodevelopmental disease; primary neuronal cultures; synapse biology; transgenic mouse models |
| Cembrowski, Mark Steven | Molecular neuroscience; Mathematical modelling and simulation; Mechanisms of memory in the brain; Anxiety; Big Data; Bioinformatics; Cell types; Computation; CRISPR-Cas9; Fear; Genetics; modeling; Neural circuits; neuroscience; Neuroscience of memory; PTSD; RNAseq |
| Haas, Kurt | Medical and biomedical engineering; Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; Autism; Brain Circuit Development; Dendritogenesis; Epilepsy; Genetics of Neurological and Psychiatric Diseases; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Neurological diseases; Neuronal Communication and Neurotransmission; Neuronal Computation; Neuronal Modeling; Neuronal Systems; Neuronal and Synaptic Activity; Plasticity / Neuronal Regeneration; Synaptic Plasticity |
| Hilton, Brett | Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; neuroscience; neuroplasticity; Axon regeneration; Spinal cord injury |
| Johnson, James | diabetes, hormones, cell biology, signal transduction, apoptosis or programmed cell death, heart failure, heart disease, calcium signalling, pancreatic cancer, obesity, longevity, imaging, Causes of type 1 and type 2 diabetes at a molecular level discovery of genes and associated gene networks linked to diabetes risk and by known risk factors that predispose individuals to diabetes |
| Kieffer, Tim | Diabetes |
| Kopp, Janel | Genomics; Modeling cancer; Pancreas; Pancreatic cancer; Pancreatic development |
| Loewen, Christopher | Membranes and Organelles; Lipid Signalling; Lipid Traffic; Membrane Contact Sites; Genetic Networks; Systems Biology; Super Resolution Microscopy; Cell polarity; Endoplasmic Reticulum; Golgi; Membrane Diffusion Barriers; Cell Biology; Autism; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS); Cancer Cell Metabolism |
| Moore, Edwin D | Cardiovascular |
| Moukhles, Hakima | Muscle cells |
| Nabi, Ivan Robert | Medical, health and life sciences; Cancer cell biology; Membrane domains; Organelle contact sites; Super-resolution microscopy; Machine Learning |
| O'Connor, Timothy | Identification of small molecules that stimulate neurite outgrowth and regeneration Examination of the role of semaphorins during embryonic development |
| Rideout, Elizabeth | Sex differences; Metabolism; Cell Signaling Pathways; Development; Lifespan and Aging; Stress responses; Drosophila melanogaster |
| Roskelley, Calvin | Breast cancer, ovarian cancer |
| Tanentzapf, Guy | How cell adhesion contributes to muscle function, and stem cell biology |
| Underhill, Michael | Musculoskeletal diseases, transcription factors, growth, cytokines, retinoid signalling pathway in chondrogenesis, osteogenesis, phenotype |
| Viau, Victor | Basic medicine and life sciences; Sex differences; Stress responses; Glucocorticoids; Inflammation; Behavior; Central Nervous System; Endocrinology |
| Weidberg, Hilla | Other basic medicine and life sciences; Cell Biology; Genetics; Biochemistry; molecular biology; Organelle biology; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial stress; Protein quality control; Metabolism; Neurodegenerative diseases |
| West, Christopher | Systems physiology; Animal physiology, circulation; Integrative physiology; Spinal cord injury; Animal models |