Anatomy and Cell Biology - News

Prof. Venne awarded the 2024 President's Prize for Excellence in Teaching

�鶹AV — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 18:20:51 +0000

Prof. Gabriel Venne, Director of the Division of Anatomical Sciences, has been awarded the 2024 President's Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Pictured here is Prof. Venne receiving his award from �鶹AV President Deep Saini at the Fall Convocation ceremony on Dec. 2nd.

Congratulations to Prof. Davis!

�鶹AV — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 15:04:10 +0000

Last week, ACB had the opportunity to celebrate the retirement of Professor Elaine Davis, who has worked in the department for over twenty years. Congratulations to Prof. Davis!

Pictured from left to right: Carlos Morales, Hojatollah Vali, Elaine Davis, Chantal Autexier, Craig Mandato, and Gabriel Venne.

Anatomy & Cell Biology Scientific Image Contest: Winners Announced!

�鶹AV — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 14:22:09 +0000

This summer, department members participated in our inaugural Scientific Image Contest: "Life Magnified: An Anatomy and Cell Biology Exploration."

Prof. Venne is the 2024 recipient of the Osler Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

�鶹AV — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 17:33:13 +0000

Congratulations to Prof. Venne for this accomplishment!

Congratulations to our undergraduate scholarship winners!

�鶹AV — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 14:03:27 +0000

Prof. Charles E. Smith has received an honorary doctorate from L'Université Laval

�鶹AV — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 18:25:24 +0000

Congratulations to Prof. Charles E. Smith on receiving an honorary doctorate from L'Université Laval!

Pictured is Prof. Smith holding his award with the Secretary General (right side, Monique Richer), the Dean of the Dental School (Petros Papagerakis, left side), and the Rector (in red gown, Sophie D’Amours) of Université Laval.

New publication from the Reinhardt and Strauss labs

�鶹AV — Thu, 30 May 2024 14:36:28 +0000

Two faculty members of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology joined forces to bridge the field of cryo-electron microscopy (Mike Strauss) and extracellular matrix cell biology (Dieter Reinhardt). This interdisciplinary team also spanned faculties across �鶹AV, as Michael Wozny (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences) and Valentin Nelea (Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences) spearheaded the experimental approaches together with other team members and a visiting scholar.

Congratulations to these ACB graduate students on receiving funding!

�鶹AV — Wed, 22 May 2024 20:03:34 +0000

Publication from ACB and �鶹AV Undergraduates

�鶹AV — Wed, 15 May 2024 17:17:24 +0000

A useful tool in protein research comes from the collaborative efforts of two bright �鶹AV undergraduates, Jerry Gao and Maxwell Tong. Under the supervision of postdoctoral fellow Thibault Legal and Associate Professor Khanh Huy Bui, Jerry and Max developed the DomainFit program for the identification of protein domains in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) maps at intermediate resolutions.

New publication from the Bui Lab

�鶹AV — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:40:44 +0000

Effect of α-tubulin acetylation on the doublet microtubule structure.

New Publication by Postdoctoral Fellow Lia Paim

�鶹AV — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 20:51:42 +0000

Cell division is a fundamental process for growth and repair in our bodies. It relies on the beautiful and complex machinery of the mitotic spindle to ensure the accurate distribution of genetic material. The spindle is made up of tiny structures called microtubules, which act like molecular cables to move chromosomes to the right places. When these microtubules don't work properly, cells can end up with the wrong number of chromosomes, a condition known as aneuploidy, which is linked to cancer.

Graduate student Kalley Kho is first author in a new JCI publication

�鶹AV — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 16:14:33 +0000

Severe kidney dysfunction in sialidosis mice reveals an essential role for neuraminidase 1 in reabsorption

Postdoc Thibault Legal has a new publication in the Journal of Cell Biology

�鶹AV — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 19:58:43 +0000

CEP104/FAP256 and associated cap complex maintain stability of the ciliary tip

The �鶹AV Reporter has profiled the Body Donor Program.

�鶹AV — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 20:12:44 +0000

�鶹AV’s Body Donor Program plays crucial role in health sciences education

Overall, donors have an impact on the education of more than a thousand students every year.

PhD student Neha Dinesh recognized by the American Society of Matrix Biology

�鶹AV — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 15:32:46 +0000

Neha Dinesh, PhD student in the Reinhardt lab, won the Iozzo Trainee Award at the combined conference of the American Society for Matrix Biology, the American Society for Investigative Pathology, and the Histochemical Society held in Salt Lake City, Utah from Oct 22-25, 2023. The title of her contribution was “Fibronectin-Mediated Physiological and Pathological Mechanisms in Skeletal Development”. The Iozzo Trainee Award is given to a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding contributions to the field of matrix biology and a continuing commitment to matrix biology research.

Dr. Morales has a new publication in PLOS ONE.

�鶹AV — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 14:34:52 +0000

Effects of Heparan sulfate acetyl-CoA: Alpha-glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase (HGSNAT) inactivation on the structure and function of epithelial and immune cells of the testis and epididymis and sperm parameters in adult mice.

Dr. Bui's lab has a new publication in Nature Communications.

�鶹AV — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 19:45:54 +0000

Integrated modeling of the Nexin-dynein regulatory complex reveals its regulatory mechanism.

Fascia Summer School 2023

�鶹AV — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 20:29:19 +0000

This past July 17-21st, the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology hosted the Fascia Summer School in collaboration with the University of Padua, Italy.

The event featured didactic lectures on the most recent advances in fascia, dissection labs conducted by our lead anatomists, Carla Stecco and Gabriel Venne, and hands-on workshops to expose participants to the different fields of practice and research on fascia.

Thank you to Prof. Venne and the Division of Anatomical Sciences for their work in ensuring the success of this event!

Congratulations Kelly and Jeannie!

�鶹AV — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 20:32:04 +0000

The department would like to congratulate FEMR staff Kelly Sears and Jeannie Mui on receiving the Technologist Award from the Microscopy Society of Canada for 2019 and 2021, respectively.

The Technologist Award recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the advancement of microscopy research or training. Congratulations to Kelly and Jeannie!

Dr. Reinhardt's lab has been profiled by the �鶹AV Reporter.

�鶹AV — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 15:27:30 +0000

Sustainability in research: If you want to green your lab, start with the freezer

Cell biology researcher Dieter Reinhardt explains why his lab is cool with turning up the temperature of their freezers

By Maya Willard-Stepan, Communications Intern, �鶹AV Office of Sustainability

APRIL 6, 2023

Congratulations to our undergraduate scholarship winners!

�鶹AV — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 16:57:59 +0000

Grad students obtain CIHR CGS-M, FRQNT & FRQS awards

�鶹AV — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 15:44:31 +0000

Galenvs Sciences Inc. and the FEMR at �鶹AV Announce Partnership Agreement

�鶹AV — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 14:26:58 +0000

Galenvs Sciences Inc. and the FEMR at �鶹AV Announce Partnership Agreement

MARCH 10, 2022

Published on Health e-News - �鶹AV

Celebrating a career dedicated to science and teaching - Jeannie Mui

�鶹AV — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 16:31:56 +0000

Celebrating a career dedicated to science and teaching - Published on Health e-News

By Jason Clement

FEBRUARY 24, 2022

Mikaela Stiver won an Innovations Program Grant from the American Association for Anatomy.

�鶹AV — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 15:36:23 +0000

Neuroanatomy is in the Cards for Member Mikaela Stiver

�鶹AV — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 14:23:42 +0000

There are collectible trading card games for almost everything these days. Besides Pokémon, there are, of course, cards for athletes, celebrities, TV and movie characters, and musical instruments, just to name a few.

Dr. Strauss publishes article in the Journal of Cell Biology: Cryo-EM structure of the complete and ligand-saturated insulin receptor ectodomain

�鶹AV — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 19:51:22 +0000

Glucose homeostasis and growth essentially depend on the hormone insulin engaging its receptor. Despite biochemical and structural advances, a fundamental contradiction has persisted in the current understanding of insulin ligand–receptor interactions. While biochemistry predicts two distinct insulin binding sites, 1 and 2, recent structural analyses have resolved only site 1. Using a combined approach of cryo-EM and atomistic molecular dynamics simulation, we present the structure of the entire dimeric insulin receptor ectodomain saturated with four insulin molecules.

Dr. Charles E. Smith continues long-standing collaborative investigations with Dr. James Simmer and Dr. Jan Hu from the University of Michigan

�鶹AV — Thu, 28 Nov 2019 19:04:52 +0000

Dr. Charles E. Smith continues long-standing collaborative investigations with Dr. James Simmer and Dr. Jan Hu from the University of Michigan about how ameloblasts coordinate their activities to produce the protective enamel covering of teeth as well as flawed responses that occur from these cells when matrix formation/signaling is disrupted by genetic alterations.

Below is a list of recent publications:

Dr. McPherson's Lab has developed a protocol to easily assess the specificity of antibodies—and hopefully stem some of the reproducibility crisis.

�鶹AV — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 17:30:11 +0000

Peter S. McPherson

Opinion: Scientists Need to Demand Better Antibody Validation

My lab has developed a protocol to easily assess the specificity of antibodies—and hopefully stem some of the reproducibility crisis.

Click here to read the full article.

Reinhardt lab receives funding from the prestigious Marfan Foundation (USA) to explore the connection between diet and disease development in Marfan syndrome

�鶹AV — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 15:15:04 +0000

Reinhardt lab receives funding from the prestigious Marfan Foundation (USA) to explore the connection between diet and disease development in Marfan syndrome. Congratulations!

Dr. Sandra Miller published an article in Current Trends in Immunology

�鶹AV — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 17:26:06 +0000

TITLE: Augmentation of cell numbers and function in the immune system by in vivo administration of North American (NA) ginseng (Panax Quinquefolium): Assessment in normal and cancer-bearing infant, juvenile, adult and elderly mice

Reinhardt lab published new mechanisms in elastic fiber formation in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS)

�鶹AV — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 13:31:11 +0000

Title: Fibulin-4 exerts a dual role in LTBP-4L–mediated matrix assembly and function

Amal Seffouh, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Ortega lab, publishes her most recent work about the role of RbgA in the maturation of the 50S ribosomal subunit

�鶹AV — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 18:32:13 +0000

Amal Seffouh, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Ortega lab, publishes her most recent work about the role of RbgA in the maturation of the 50S ribosomal subunit.

Click here to read the paper.

Congratulations to Dr. Marc McKee for receiving the ASBMR 2019 Adele L. Boskey Award!

�鶹AV — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 18:26:22 +0000

Congratulations to Dr. Marc McKee for receiving the ASBMR 2019 Adele L. Boskey Award! The Adele L Boskey Esteemed Award for Bone and Mineral Research recognizes an American Society for Bone and Mineral Research member for outstanding and major scientific contributions, leadership and mentorship in the area of bone and mineral research especially in the areas of mechanisms of mineralization, bone mineral, bone quality, and mechanobiology.

Aida Razi’s last PhD thesis chapter now published online in the Nucleic Acids Research journal. This publication features the first cryo-EM structures obtained by the Ortega lab in the Titan Krios microscope at FEMR-�鶹AV

�鶹AV — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 15:58:37 +0000

Aida Razi’s last PhD thesis chapter now published online in the Nucleic Acids Research journal. This publication features the first cryo-EM structures obtained by the Ortega lab in the Titan Krios microscope at FEMR-�鶹AV.

Read the paper at https://academic.oup.com/nar/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nar/gkz571/5527280?searchresult=1

Dr. Kelly Sears is awarded the Microscopical Society of Canada Technologist Award 2019

�鶹AV — Wed, 15 May 2019 17:02:17 +0000

Dr. Kelly Sears, Research Manager at the Facility for Electron Microscopy Research (FEMR) is awarded the Microscopical Society of Canada Technologist Award 2019. This award recognizes his passion and dedication to FEMR research mission. Congratulations!

Deanna MacNeil from the Autexier lab establishes how an imbalance favoring telomerase RNA degradation over correct maturation is causative for the premature aging telomere biology disorder dyskeratosis congenita.

�鶹AV — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 13:40:38 +0000

The telomerase holoenzyme responsible for maintaining telomeres in vertebrates requires many components in vivo, including dyskerin. Dyskerin binds and regulates the accumulation of the human telomerase RNA, hTR, as well as other non-coding RNAs that share the conserved H/ACA box motif. The precise mechanism by which dyskerin controls hTR levels is unknown, but is evidenced by defective hTR accumulation caused by substitutions in dyskerin, that are observed in the X-linked telomere biology disorder dyskeratosis congenita (X-DC).

Reinhardt lab receives 5-year CIHR grant to investigate extracellular matrix-mediated regulation of microRNAs in health and disease.

�鶹AV — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 16:21:34 +0000

Reinhardt lab receives 5-year CIHR grant to investigate extracellular matrix-mediated regulation of microRNAs in health and disease. Congratulations!

Reinhardt lab establishes a new paradigm how extracellular fibrillin-1 regulates intracellular microRNAs and cell function

�鶹AV — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 19:12:37 +0000

Fibrillins are the major components of microfibrils in the extracellular matrix of elastic and non-elastic tissues. Fibrillin-1 contains one evolutionarily conserved RGD sequence that mediates cell–matrix interactions through cell-surface integrins. The Reinhardt lab presents a novel paradigm how extracellular fibrillin-1 controls cellular function through integrin-mediated microRNA regulation.

A new collaboration between the Reinhardt group and the Mantovani group at Laval University leads to the production of physiological-like vascular scaffolds published in Biomaterials.

�鶹AV — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 13:30:49 +0000

One of the tightest bottlenecks in vascular tissue engineering is the lack of strength and elasticity of engineered vascular wall models caused by limited elastic fiber deposition. In this study, collagen gel-based scaffolds were cellularised with vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and supplemented with human plasma fibronectin (FN), a known master organizer of several extracellular matrix (ECM) fiber systems.

The Reinhardt group publishes novel biological mechanisms in blood vessels in PLOS Biology

�鶹AV — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 17:28:09 +0000

Fibronectin is a protein that exists in vertebrates in two distinct forms: one present in the blood and the other in blood vessel walls. In mammals, fibronectin is important for the development of blood vessels before birth, but whether it is continuously required for blood vessel homeostasis from birth to adulthood is unknown. We present important results from three genetically modified mouse models, which show that at least one form of fibronectin is required for the proper function and integrity of blood vessels during this period.

Dr. John Presley co-authors a publication in Cell Reports

�鶹AV — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 13:55:49 +0000

C24 Sphingolipids Govern the Transbilayer Asymmetry of Cholesterol and Lateral Organization of Model and Live-Cell Plasma Membranes

Cracking eggshell nanostructure

�鶹AV — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 14:10:52 +0000

How is it that fertilized chicken eggs manage to resist fracture from the outside, while at the same time, are weak enough to break from the inside during chick hatching? It’s all in the eggshell’s nanostructure, according to a new study led by �鶹AV scientists.

The findings, reported today in Science Advances, could have important implications for food safety in the agro-industry.

A new, state-of-the-art gross anatomy laboratory is in the works!

�鶹AV — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 17:01:37 +0000

A new, state-of-the-art gross anatomy laboratory is in the works! Learn more about the Strathcona Building and our plans for a cutting-edge anatomy teaching laboratory HERE!

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Dr. Huy Bui, who has been named a 2017 CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar!

�鶹AV — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 16:57:14 +0000

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Dr. Huy Bui, who has been named a 2017 CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar!

Collaboration between Dr. Dieter Reinhardt and geneticist Dr. Philippe Campeau leads to the identification of a new gene

�鶹AV — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 16:55:03 +0000

Unique collaboration of Dr. Dieter Reinhardt with geneticist Dr. Philippe Campeau at the Sainte-Justine Research Center leads to the identification of a new gene causing scoliosis and bone malformations, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Have a look at the exciting 3D printing initiative taking place in Anatomy & Cell Biology!

�鶹AV — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 16:51:46 +0000

Watch the video here!

Domingo Sarmiento Distinction awarded to Dr. Morales

�鶹AV — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 16:48:23 +0000

Congratulations to Dr. Carlos Morales, who has been awarded the prestigious Domingo Sarmiento Distinction by the Senate of Argentina for his contributions to medical science.

Collaboration between departmental members Drs. D. Reinhardt and P. Campeau has received new 5-year funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research

�鶹AV — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 16:42:05 +0000

Collaboration between departmental members Drs. D. Reinhardt and P. Campeau has received new 5-year funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for the grant entitled “Role of fibronectin mutations in spondylometaphyseal dysplasia and idiopathic scoliosis” in the amount of $680,850. Congratulations!