University of Guelph College of Biological Science

10/06/2026

What if our own immune system could help us fight antibiotic-resistant infections?🦠

Researchers led by Dr. Priyanka Pundir and PhD candidate Colin Guth in Molecular and Cellular Biology found that activating mast cells with a naturally occurring molecule called catestatin helped accelerate wound healing and clear methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in a mouse model.

Surprisingly, the mast cells didn’t work by increasing inflammation or attracting more immune cells to the infection. Instead, they stimulate the surrounding skin cells to secrete additional small molecules with antimicrobial properties.

These findings offer an immunotherapy-based approach to combatting AMR: using catestatin to leverage our own natural defences against pathogens.

“From the basic science standpoint, we show that mast cells play a positive role in wound healing, rather than just promoting inflammation,” says Guth. “On the translational side, we provide a way to reduce inflammation and clear out pathogens, two very important outcomes in wound healing and AMR.”

Read the new article by Samantha Giordan: https://www.uoguelph.ca/cbs/news/2026/10/don%e2%80%99t-judge-book-its-cover-study-highlights-new-role-underrated-immune-cells-fight

University of Guelph, Office of Graduate Studies

10/02/2026

Research Participants Needed!

The Menopause Study, through the Department of Human Health Sciences, is seeking post-menopausal women who have been taking estrogen-based HRT for six months or more to participate in a study on muscle performance and fatigability.

For more information and eligibility, visit: https://www.uoguelph.ca/hhs/research/study-recruitment or email Amelia Rilling at [email protected]

09/29/2026

09/23/2026

What if you could experience medical school before you graduate? 🌴

A new summer field course to the Caribbean, offered by the College of Biological Science, is providing that opportunity to undergraduate students.

Through the four-week Principles to Practice Summer Clinical Program, students explore tropical medicine, clinical anatomy, physiology and more, alongside medical students and faculty from the University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Saint Kitts.

Students gain hands-on experience in a cadaver lab and simulation lab, connect with patients at a community health fair, and work in clinical teams to present a medical case, their diagnosis and treatment plan.

Developed by Human Health Sciences’ Dr. Justine Tishinsky and Dr. Lorraine Jadeski, in partnership with Memorial University of Newfoundland, the course gives students a chance to explore medicine in a different cultural and health-care context.

Learn more: https://news.uoguelph.ca/2026/09/in-the-caribbean-u-of-g-students-get-unmatched-med-school-experience/

University of Guelph

09/17/2026

Victoria Baker joined U of G's Master of Biotechnology program with a background in marine ecology and a curiosity about molecular biology. This summer, she applied her new skills in Dr. Jennifer Geddes-McAlister's lab, contributing to research on antifungal drug resistance in the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. 🧫

“I was reading about biotechnology and what you can do with it. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I thought, ‘I should apply and see if I can broaden the skillset I already have,’” she says. “I love that the Master of Biotechnology program gives you the chance to branch out into new fields, while providing really useful hands-on learning opportunities.”

Victoria investigated three proteins believed to contribute to the C. neoformans’ virulence and resistance to treatment. After blocking or deleting each of those proteins, researchers will test whether resistant strains of the fungus become more vulnerable to the antifungal drug fluconazole. While the project continues beyond her placement, Victoria contributed to research with the potential to improve future treatments.

“Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogen that’s causing a lot of harm, so the science has real application and it feels like we’re making a difference,” she says. “I love the work I’m doing, how different it is from what I’ve done before, and the end goal of the research."

University of Guelph, Office of Graduate Studies

09/02/2026

How do diet and exercise work together to influence breast cancer prevention?

Research by Lyn Oakes, Dr. David Ma and Dr. Lindsay Robinson from Human Health Sciences explores how lifestyle factors may influence breast cancer development using a genetic mouse model. Mice were fed diets rich in either omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids and were either vigorously exercised or kept sedentary.

The researchers found that mice fed an omega-3-rich diet and vigorously exercised remained tumour-free longer than the other groups studied. The findings suggest that this combination may influence the timing of disease progression and extend the time spent disease-free. When tumours did develop in omega-3-fed mice, there were fewer and they were smaller than those in the omega-6 group.

The research also ties into the growing field of health span research, which focuses on extending the number of years we live in good health, rather than simply increasing longevity.

“As scientists, we’re often trained to be reductionists — to think in terms of one pathway, one molecule, one mechanism,” Ma says. “But in reality, there is no magic bullet.”

Read the new SCRIBE article by Andra Popa:

These days, it feels like we hear about a new diet or nutrition fad every week. From the viral carnivore diet to the era of GLP-1 inhibitors, society is more focused than ever on what we should or shouldn’t be eating. But while diet trends come and go, researchers in the Department of Human Health...

08/27/2026

Backed by $8 million in federal funding, Dr. Chris Todd Hittinger will become the new Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada in Biodiscovery, Biodesign and Bioproduction at as part of the Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative. His appointment in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology begins on July 1, 2027.

The research program will help address Canada’s urgent challenges in energy security by harnessing the potential of yeasts as sources of fuels and other bioproducts. It will drive the expansion of U of G's existing biotechnology strengths and propel a new Centre for Biodiscovery, Biodesign, and Bioproduction, serving as a national hub linking research, training and industry collaboration.

Dr. Hittinger's appointment is part of the first phase of the Initiative, aimed at strengthening Canada’s position as a global destination for top scientists and innovators.

Read more: https://uoguel.ph/h0nyx

08/24/2026

How does vision impact our balance? 👟

In a recent study, researchers led by PhD candidate Kristen De Melo and Dr. Lori Ann Vallis tested how our bodies respond to visual cues.

They asked young adults to watch a series of immersive videos: walking through an indoor hallway, strolling along an outdoor boardwalk and hiking an outdoor trail, while standing, sitting with their feet planted or sitting with their feet dangling. Using electrodes to monitor leg muscle activity and reflective markers on participants’ clothing, they measured both muscle activity and how much participants swayed in response to the videos.

Researchers found that vision does influence movement and balance in adults, and they also found differences between female and male participants. For example, women showed more back-and-forth sway while standing across the video conditions, and the two groups showed differences in which leg muscles were most activated as they worked to maintain their balance.

The findings could help researchers better understand how we maintain balance and support the development of tools to identify neurological changes in older adults.

Read the full story: https://www.uoguelph.ca/cbs/news/2026/08/lean-me-men-and-women-use-different-strategies-maintain-balance

University of Guelph, Office of Graduate Studies

07/29/2026

This summer, Master of Biotechnology student Simran Kaur is working with Canurta Therapeutics to identify promising new plant-derived anti-inflammatory compounds and make them easier to produce at scale.

Since 2021, the company has been developing botanical therapeutics and natural products for both inflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders. The research could also provide safer alternatives to anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen.

Working in Dr. Tariq Akhtar’s lab at U of G with research associates Dr. Kelly Boddington and Dr. Eric Soubeyrand, Simran is helping expand the company's pipeline of potential therapeutics while finding ways to scale up their production. Plants use enzymes to make these compounds, but since they produce them in small amounts, they aren't practical for large-scale manufacturing. The research team is using directed evolution to create more efficient versions of those enzymes.

"I love how applicable the work is," says Kaur. "A lot of research is really interesting, but so much of it gets shelved because there's not enough funding or it's just done on such a small scale. At Canurta, we're doing discovery work at a smaller scale but also scaling that work up to make sure it can be put to use. It's not just putting new ideas out into the world but making sure they're useful too."

Read more Simran and the research at Canurta: https://www.uoguelph.ca/cbs/news/2026/07/master-biotechnology-student-contributes-search-new-anti-inflammatory-compounds

University of Guelph, Office of Graduate Studies