Membrane Protein Disease Research Group -MPDRG
The Membrane Protein Disease Research Group (MPDRG) within the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry of the University of Alberta was formed in 2001 when the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Molecular Biology of Membrane Proteins Research Group (established in 1991) merged with the Faculty’s Membrane Transport Research Group (established in 1992).
There are fourteen faculty members in the Group (Drs. Todd Alexander, Joseph Casey, Joanne Lemieux, Elaine Leslie, Xing-Zhen Chen, Emmanuelle Cordat, Larry Fliegel, Thomas Simmen, Nicolas Touret, Marek Michalak, Harley Kurata, and Howard Young, James Young and Michael Overduin) with appointments in the Departments of Biochemistry, Pediatrics, Oncology, Physiology, Cell Biology, and Pharmacology.
Our Mission
Our mission is to generate fundamental information about the structure, function and bio-genesis of biological membranes and subcellular compartments under normal and pathological conditions. Dysfunction in membrane structure/function and protein compartmentalization processes have serious consequences for the normal functioning of cells and organisms and have been implicated in diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis, congenital hypercholesterolemia, cancer, muscular dystrophy, cardiovascular diseases, arteriosclerosis and cerebrohepatorenal syndrome, just to name a few.
Our research will impact the diagnosis and treatment of different membrane associated disorders. The research will enable us to develop novel approaches to therapeutical intervention in human diseases.
Our Goal
Our goal is to undertake a multidisciplinary approach to studies of the expression, assembly, structure and function of prokaryotic and eukaryotic membrane proteins and as well, to provide an outstanding training environment for undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the area of membrane biology and related areas. Scientists from major international and national research centers visit our group to present lectures and attend the Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences meeting we organize every 4 years. Weekly research seminars are held where members of the Group present major developments in their laboratories and share new ideas and techniques.