Carleton Biology Professor Bruce McKay has been awarded a Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund grant, designed to help universities attract and retain the best researchers at a time of intense international competition. McKay will receive $157,600 to pursue his research on genomics.
“Carleton University researchers continue to push the boundaries of scientific understanding of important health issues,” said Kim Matheson, vice-president (Research and International.) “Bruce McKay’s work on genetic instability will contribute to the body of knowledge that may lead to better treatments for cancer. We congratulate him on receiving the John R. Evans Leaders Fund grant.”
McKay investigates the role of DNA and genetic instabilities that can lead to cancer. Human DNA contains almost 30,000 genes that provide the full set of instructions to produce all of the proteins required for life. DNA is found in a nucleus, where it is separated and protected while protein synthesis occurs in the cytoplasm. This physical separation of DNA from the site of protein synthesis requires intermediates called Messenger Ribonucleic Acids (mRNAs). mRNAs copy the genetic information in the nucleus and move it to the site of protein synthesis.
Recent evidence, including some of McKay’s own work, indicates that many mRNAs fail to exit the nucleus or are inhibited in the cytoplasm. This grant will allow McKay to study the regulation of mRNA synthesis, transport, decay and protein production using state-of-the-art technologies. His work will provide important insight into the function of DNA damage responses, protection against changes that lead to cancer and the outcome of cancer therapies.
About Carleton University:
Located in the nation’s capital, Carleton University is a dynamic research and teaching institution with a tradition of leading change. Its internationally recognized faculty, staff and researchers provide more than 25,000 full- and part-time students from every province and more than 100 countries around the world with academic opportunities in more than 65 programs of study, including public affairs, journalism, film studies, engineering, high technology, and international studies. Carleton’s creative, interdisciplinary and international approach to research has led to many significant discoveries and creative works in science and technology, business, governance, public policy and the arts. As an innovative institution Carleton is uniquely committed to developing solutions to real-world problems by pushing the boundaries of knowledge and understanding daily.
About the Canada Foundation for Innovation:
The Canada Foundation for Innovation gives researchers the tools they need to think big and innovate. By investing in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in Canada’s universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions, the CFI is helping to attract and retain the world’s top talent, to train the next generation of researchers, to support private-sector innovation and to create high-quality jobs that strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life for all Canadians. For more information, visit innovation.ca.
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