Canadian Researchers Form International Collaboration to Win Prestigious Award
  Two NSERC researchers have teamed with a French colleague to win the prestigious Young Investigators Award from the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP).
The HFSP award comes with a grant of US$750,000 and will allow the researchers to develop unprecedented images of molecular interactions at neuronal synapses. “We’re very happy,” says Dr. Paul De Koninck, the project’s lead investigator. “This is an ambitious project that’s difficult to fund because it’s high risk.”
Dr. De Koninck approached two researchers, Dr. Paul Wiseman, a biophysical chemist at McGill University, and Dr. Benoît Dubertret, from the Centre national de recherche scientifique in Paris, to form a leading-edge international team.
Together they will attempt to capture the remodelling of synapses, a mechanism believed to be involved in learning and memory.
“None of it is possible without each player,” explains Dr. De Koninck.
 The first part of the project, entitled “Probing synaptic remodelling with Quantum Dots and Image Correlation Spectroscopy,” involves quantum dots. These nanocrystals emit fluorescent light in many different colours depending on their size and can be imaged in living cells under the microscope for a much longer period of time than traditional fluorescent dyes. Dr. Dubertret designed a unique chemistry to coat quantum dots with lipids making them easier to introduce into living cells. Although little is known about the chemistry of quantum dots, Dr. Dubertret will work to prepare them for Dr. De Koninck so he can introduce them into neurons and link them to synapse receptors. This will allow Dr. De Koninck to track the transport and clustering of synaptic receptors in and out of synapses, and the sites of communication between nerve cells. Once this process is complete, Dr. Wiseman will analyze images of the neurons using fluorescence fluctuation methods. The research team will benefit from Dr. Wiseman’s expertise in quantitative biophysical imaging analysis approaches. He developed a unique imaging technique called image correlation spectroscopy, which can extract important information on the dynamics of molecular movement and interactions between molecular partners.
“It takes a certain amount of effort to keep the communication lines open. The benefits are fantastic to broaden the scientific palette,” explains Dr. Wiseman. “Collaboration between researchers in a variety of fields will be essential to make significant progress toward understanding such complex systems.”
The Human Frontier Science Program supports basic research, focused on complex mechanisms of living organisms – from brain functions to biological functions. NSERC contributes to the HFSP, which allows Canadians to participate in international collaborations with the world’s best life scientists, and provide training opportunities in foreign laboratories. More information on the HFSP can be found on their Web site at http://www.hfsp.org/home.php.
Contacts:
Dr. Paul De Koninck
Université Laval
Tel.: (418) 663-5747
E-mail: paul.dekoninck@crulrg.ulaval.ca
Web site: http://www.crulrg.ulaval.ca/v3/en/data/CRULRG.DeKoninckP.htm
Dr. Paul Wiseman
McGill University
Tel.: (514) 398-5354
E-mail: paul.wiseman@mcgill.ca
Web site: http://ww2.mcgill.ca/chemistry/faculty/wiseman.shtml
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