Making Strides in Environmental and Medical Science

david.kirby — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 18:36:52 +0000

The horizon for sustainable energy and cancer treatment may soon become a little bit brighter, thanks to pioneering new research being performed by Dr. Nehalkumar Thakor.

Dr. Nehalkumar Thakor is the new Campus Alberta Innovates Program Chair of Synthetic Biology and RNA-based Systems at the U of L.

Thakor is the new Campus Alberta Innovates Program Chair of Synthetic Biology and RNA-based Systems at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Appointed to the seven-year position this past September, the microbiologist is undertaking an innovative research program that will explore two distinct aspects of gene expression regulation. The first will look at how to use metabolic engineering and gene expression to produce sustainable energy.

“Humankind is being challenged right now because we are running out of our fossil fuel supply and we need an alternative energy source,” says Thakor, who is also an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “My general objective is to study RNA-based system biology, particularly in the area of energy and environment.”

RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is a molecule involved in a variety of biological functions, including coding, decoding, regulating and expressing genes. Thakor’s goal is to try to use RNA to adjust the genetic expression that occurs in the cells of microorganisms. Achieving that would make it possible to then feed microorganisms plant waste that they would then convert into glucose, a core ingredient of biofuel.

This type of biofuel, Thakor says, is more sustainable than the most common alternatives currently available — biodiesel and bioethanol, both of which rely on using agriculture (canola for biodiesel and corn for ethanol) for their production.

“The problem is that lots of arable land is required to produce those biofuels, and this ultimately competes with food production,” he says. He adds that ultimately his research could improve the sustainability of other biotechnological processes, such as those involved in producing antibiotics and biodegradable plastics.

Thakor’s second research priority is to examine the role of gene expression regulation in protein translation during oncogenesis, or the formation of cancer. Specifically, he wants to understand why a regular a cell exposed to stress — such as being deprived of oxygen or nutrients — will die, but a cancer cell will survive.

Much of the existing research on this subject has shown that cancer cells increase the rate of protein synthesis — a vital cellular process that regulates growth and metabolism — which ultimately promotes the survival and progression of cancer. Thakor will investigate the cellular, biochemical, molecular and structural aspects of the regulation of protein translation to determine how these processes affect the development of cancer.

“By learning more about how protein translation occurs in cancer cells, it may provide us with insights into how we can create more effective cancer treatments,” he says.

In addition to his research, Thakor is also developing two new graduate-level elective courses: one on gene expression in health and disease, which he will start teaching in January, and another on immunology.

“I hope my research and teaching can provide students with a basis of understanding of different environmental- and health-related aspects of science and help them go on to become skilled scientists and good doctors,” he says.

U of L appoints Dr. Nehal Thakor as its fourth CAIP chair

caroline.zentner — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 17:25:11 +0000

Dr. Nehalkumar (Nehal) Thakor’s research into the regulation of gene expression has implications for many fields, from biofuel production to cancer treatment.

One arm of Dr. Nehal Thakor’s research program explores the uses of gene expression regulation in the field of sustainable energy.

Thakor, a microbiologist, brings his expertise in synthetic biology to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as a Campus Alberta Innovation Program (CAIP) Chair of Synthetic Biology and RNA-based Systems. He was appointed to the seven-year position in September.

“Government’s commitment to the Campus Alberta Innovation Program helps attract leading edge professors to our province. Dr. Thakor’s work has the potential to make significant discoveries in energy and the environment that will benefit not only Alberta but people around the world,” says Don Scott, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education. “We welcome him to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge."

Synthetic biology involves the engineering of biological systems to produce new outcomes. One arm of Thakor’s research program explores the uses of gene expression regulation in the field of sustainable energy.

“Mankind is being challenged right now because we are running out of our fossil fuel supply, and we need an alternative energy source,” says Thakor, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “My general objective is to study RNA-based system biology, particularly in the area of energy and environment.”

RNA (ribonucleic acid) is a molecule that, along with DNA and proteins, is essential for all known life forms. RNA is involved in gene expression and regulation and Thakor investigates the use of RNA to adjust gene expression in microbes to consume plant waste and convert it into glucose, a core ingredient of biofuel. This type of biofuel is more sustainable because it doesn’t compete for land used to grow food. Ultimately, Thakor’s research could also have implications for the production of antibiotics and biodegradable plastics.

Thakor’s other area of research concentrates on the regulation of gene expression during oncogenesis, or the formation of cancer. He wants to uncover why cancer cells survive after being exposed to stress that kills regular cells.

"By learning more about how protein translation occurs in cancer cells, it may provide us with insights into how we can create more effective cancer treatments,” he says.

Dr. Lesley Brown, interim vice-president (research), sees a bright future for RNA-based research at the U of L. Thakor joins a strong team, including Dr. Hans Joachim Wieden, who was named the iCORE (Innovates Centre of Research Excellence) Strategic Chair of Bioengineering by Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures (AITF).

“The number of problems that can be addressed through synthetic biology and biomolecular engineering will only continue to expand,” says Brown. “Dr. Thakor is a welcome addition to our team of researchers in synthetic biology.”

Before coming to the U of L, Thakor was a senior scientist at BioVectra, a supplier to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, in Prince Edward Island. Originally from India, Thakor obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in microbiology from Sardar Patel ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Gujarat, India. He did his doctoral work at Sardar Patel and at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Munster in Germany. Thakor also worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and at the Apoptosis Research Centre in Ottawa.

Thakor is the fourth and final CAIP chair allocated to the U of L as part of the provincial government’s commitment to provide 16 research chairs to Alberta’s four comprehensive universities. The CAIP Chairs program is designed to bring new research leaders to Alberta to work in four strategic areas, including energy and environment, food and nutrition, neuroscience/prions, and water. At the U of L, the government is contributing $1 million for four Chairs over the course of seven years, for a total investment of $7 million.

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Making Strides in Environmental and Medical Science

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