Alberta-based virologist Michael Houghton received the 2020 Nobel Prize in medicine for his work — along with two American scientists — in identifying the virus that causes hepatitis C. Since
Pierre-Olivier Quirion is the switchboard operator at the centre of a consortium working to track COVID-19 strains in Quebec. This Rube-Golberg-like operation starts when a sample is swabbed from inside
When one thinks about computer science’s role in tackling COVID-19, it’s hard to imagine what it might be. Yet James Hughes is working on that very thing. The assistant professor
Professor Moulay Akhloufi didn’t expect to join the effort against COVID-19. And while it may be difficult to imagine X-rays and artificial intelligence helping in the face of a world-paralyzing
On September 23, 2020, we will launch our annual Resource Allocation Competitions (RAC), a peer-reviewed process to grant priority access to storage and compute resources beyond what can be obtained
Spotlight On: Ian Lewis, Assistant Professor University of Calgary Department of Biological Sciences Ian Lewis has always worked to develop better ways to diagnose infectious diseases. His work always involves
Julie Hussin wasn’t thinking about taking on COVID-19 when she started looking at the data coming out of affected countries back in January. But this assistant professor of bioinformatics at
Professor Nicolas Moitessier describes his task as “finding a key that fits the lock,” except he wants to block the keyhole. His McGill chemistry lab is now a vital cog
The research group led by Régis Pomès, the largest user of Compute Canada resources, is improving the efficiency of molecular simulations. This work, which has led to multiple high-impact publications
Alan Evans has reported that his spinoff, Biospective (a contract research organization that specializes in animal and human imaging), is a research outcome of Compute Canada. Dr. Evans has also
Steven Hallam is the founder of the spinoff MetaMixis, a synthetic biology company that uses its software technology to expedite small molecule production. http://genomics.entrepreneurship.ubc.ca/training/entrepreneurial-education/lean-launch-pad/principal-investigator-steven-hallam-on-entrepreneurship-i-want-to-be-in-charge-of-my-own-destiny/ ith RAC support from Compute Canada,
Nicolas Moitessier created a spin-off, Molecular Forecaster Inc., a company that offers highly specialized drug design and discovery computer programs that aim to make several aspects of drug discovery faster
Duane Cronin has filed a patent for a deformable energy-absorbing utility pole, which aims to make traffic and lighting poles safer and more stable in accidents. He is working with
Gane Ka-Shu Wong is jointly appointed in the department of biological sciences and the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta. He identifies and develops novel applications made possible
Ghislain Deslongchamps’s research is in computer-assisted molecular design, a field that can lead to highly potent and specific drugs. His work has yielded the inventions of Reverse-Docking, a new method
Michael Bowling is behind artificial intelligence software and poker game products that have played against top poker players. His research could lead to other powerful real-world impact. http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~bowling/ ames have
André Dieter Bandrauk, recently named Officer of the Order of Canada for his contributions to computational and theoretical chemistry, has pioneered a new field: attosecond science. http://www.usherbrooke.ca/medias/communiques/2012/mai/communiques-detail/c/18526/ dvances in modern
Ping Liang has created and made freely available software (pBWA) that can speed up large-scale analysis of personal genome data, which will lead to a better understanding of human genetics
Julie Forman-Kay researches proteins that do not follow a fixed three-dimensional structure. The understanding of these proteins, called intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), is an important part of understanding diseases such
Mallar Chakravarty’s research group has developed new algorithms to help analyze large quantities of mental-health data, in the hopes of better understanding how the anatomy of the brain changes shape
Jacques Corbeil’s research is specifically focused on devising massively distributed software tools for the genomics community. He has created (and maintains) a parallel DNA sequencing tool called Ray, which is
Chris Gray conducts research on an antimicrobial peptide, which is considered a strong candidate for future antibiotic replacement. His work has the potential to affect drug discovery in this area.
Mikko Karttunen studies small-scale interactions of biomolecules. The results of this research will enable the discovery of future drugs and therapeutic targets for many diseases. Karttunen’s research has led to
Sergei Noskov studies the transport across cellular membranes of ion and solute binding — a process that is not currently well understood and for which successful modelling could lead to
Peter Tieleman conducts research in biological membranes, a field that could inform the design of drugs. He has developed a new analysis software for membrane simulations, which he has made
Holger Hoos has developed free-to-use, state-of-the-art software that includes ParaILS: a method for parameter tuning that has been used in dozens of academic and industrial applications. http://www.cs.ubc.ca/labs/beta/Projects/ParamILS/index.html he results of
Seyed Moghadas’ research develops evidence-based decision models for protecting vulnerable Canadian populations from emerging infectious diseases. So far, it has yielded modelling software and a smartphone game system. http://abm-lab.yorku.ca/index.html his
Michael Bowles is partnering with POS Biosciences to develop simulations that demonstrate and optimize the use of nano (very small) devices for the separation of particles based on size. These
Man Kong Yau is collaborating with Hydro Quebec to improve short-term forecasts of precipitation. This work can lead to better information about the impact of events such as hurricanes on
Luc Beaulieu works in medical physics, researching algorithms for the effective distribution of doses in radiotherapy (commonly used to treat cancer). He has worked with the radiotherapy company Elekta to