University of Guelph College of Biological Science

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

researchers have found that circadian rhythm-related genes could influence obesity risk in children, highlighting an important connection between sleep and eating behaviour.

The Guelph Family Health Study examined variations in "clock genes" and found associations with differences in calorie and macronutrient intake among children aged two to six. The findings suggest these genes could serve as early markers of disease risk and help inform personalized diet-based interventions.

Learn more: https://uoguel.ph/bgwgg

College of Biological Science researchers are receiving more than $2.6 million in funding through NSERC Discovery Grants, part of a total of more than $22 million awarded to U of G. Congratulations!

Funded research projects range from the evolutionary history of arctic biomes to the physiology of the blood-brain barrier.

On any given day during her internship at Hope for Wildlife in Seaforth, Nova Scotia, Master of Wildlife Biology student Katherine Hurley might be feeding orphaned baby birds, administering medication, cleaning wounds, supporting educational programming or assessing injured wildlife brought in overnight.

Hope for Wildlife is the largest wildlife rehabilitation facility in the province, taking in thousands of injured and orphaned animals every year, from turtles and snowshoe hares to bobcats and porcupines.

Interns like Katherine rotate through different areas of the rehabilitation centre, gaining experience in animal handling, species-specific nutrition, first aid and science communication. They care for critically injured animals in the ICU, orphaned babies requiring round-the-clock feeding, wildlife preparing for release and even raccoons, which are housed separately to prevent the spread of disease. Interns also rotate through overnight intake shifts, serving as the first point of contact for injured and orphaned animals arriving after hours.

“I love rehabilitation work because of the tangible difference that I can make,” says Katherine. “You can work hands-on and see the difference you’re making for each individual animal. It doesn't always go the way you want it to, but you know you're having an impact.”

Read more about Katherine's internship: https://www.uoguelph.ca/cbs/news/2026/07/master-wildlife-biology-student-builds-rehabilitation-skills-nova-scotia%e2%80%99s-hope

After more than a year conducting research on muscle function, hormones and aging in Dr. Geoffrey Powers' lab in Human Health Sciences, Alex Kirkup, a recent Bio-Medical Science graduate, is heading to medical school at McMaster University with hopes of one day specializing in obstetrics and gynecology.

Alex has known she’s wanted to be a doctor since high school. She became involved in research soon after arriving at U of G, spending her first two years in a dairy nutrition lab. In her third year, she applied for an undergraduate student research award position in Dr. Powers’ lab. There, she developed and ran her own study, looking at how estrogen deficiency affects muscle loss and recovery in rat models.

Alex’s study continued after her first summer in the lab and was the subject of her fourth-year independent research project in both fall and winter terms. Upon graduating this spring, she received the Pari Basrur Prize, which recognizes a graduating Bio-Medical Science student who achieves a minimum of 90% in the course. Her research was recently published in Experimental Physiology, with Alex as first author.

“Doing this work, learning from other researchers in the field here or at conferences, as well as working with menopausal women and hearing what they’re going through has really reinforced the importance of OB/GYN work for me,” she says. “I also love how varied every day is in research and it sounds like practicing as an OB/GYN has that same kind of variety, which is something I could see being a great fit for me.”

Read more about Alex’s research: https://www.uoguelph.ca/cbs/news/2026/06/inspired-undergraduate-research-bio-medical-science-student-heads-medical-school