March 4, 2025

Laptop or Lab? Research opportunity in Chang lab leads BCB student to embrace both

A Research Opportunity in the Chang lab led Alena Qin, a student in the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology program, to an appreciation for hands-on experimentation.  Students in Arts & Sciences can engage in research opportunities through the Research Opportunities Program. Qin was…

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December 18, 2024

Graduate student excellence earns impressive awards

Graduate students in the Department of Cell & Systems Biology cover a broad range of fields, including plant science, neuroscience, cell biology, infectious disease research, endocrinology and systems biology. The discoveries these students are making and their contributions to the Department…

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May 21, 2024

The shocking way Amazonian electric fish adapted to dead zones

A major metabolic stressor to all aerobic organisms is low oxygen, or hypoxia, which can lead…

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April 17, 2024

Undergraduate researchers reveal exciting project results at year-end poster session to earn F Michael Barrett Award

On Friday, April 5th, 2024 students from the CSB497, 498 and 499 independent research programs presented their project results in a poster session held in the Ramsay Wright Building. We would like to thank our judges for their time assessing the posters and presentations. The students who excelled…

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September 28, 2023

Chang lab pursues sensory studies into evolution of the multifunction rhodopsin protein with $2M grant

Some proteins can detect light. Others are sensitive to temperature. Some act as taste receptors. Opsin proteins can do it all. Professor…

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August 7, 2022

Professor Chang’s Research Featured in The Atlantic

Dr Sarah Dungan was interviewed about her work in Professor Chang's lab on reconstructing ancestral rhodopsin in cetaceans. The story was published in the Atlantic as "What Did Ancient Whales See?" (external link).

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June 29, 2022

Whales evolved swiftly to become deep divers

White and Blue Whale Diving UnderwaterSurprising details about the transition of early whales from living on…

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June 23, 2022

Long-term Research at CSB supported by NSERC Discovery Grants 2022

Congratulations to five researchers at CSB who have earned Discovery Grants starting in 2022 from the National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). This program supports ongoing programs of research with long-term goals over five years rather than supporting a single short-term…

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June 29, 2021

Synthetic biology circuit from Chang lab may lead to IBD treatment

A new probiotic yeast, engineered at the University of Toronto and extensively tested at Bringham & Women’s Hospital (BWH) was designed using synthetic biology to sense and respond to inflammation, and has been shown to reduce IBD in mice. Inflammation can be a healthy response to infection…

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February 26, 2021

Resurrected proteins reveal evolutionary history of Amazon River fish

As the Andes mountains were rising 15-20 million years ago, the freshwater Amazon basin became flooded with seawater. This event provided an opportunity to adapt to a freshwater habitat for marine species carried along with the seawater. University of Toronto Professors Belinda Chang and Nathan…

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