New positions for graduate students!
Prof. Berezovski is seeking passionate graduate students, regardless of gender, who are eager to delve into the exciting world of developing new diagnostics and therapeutics using nucleic acid aptamers and exosomes. This is a unique opportunity to study proteomics and biomolecular interactions with cutting-edge technologies such as mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis, biolayer interferometry, and flow cytometry. The candidates can apply for graduate programs leading to M.Sc. or Ph.D. in Chemistry or Chemical and Environmental Toxicology. The fast-track program is available for excellent students when they transfer to a Ph.D. program after one year of an M.Sc. program. Students will participate in different research projects and learn new bioanalytical techniques and instrumentations, providing a platform for personal and professional growth. Please send your cover letter, CV, and transcripts directly to Maxim.Berezovski@uottawa.ca.
Industrial Partner Required!
Prof. Berezovski is looking for a partner company with R&D capabilities to join us in our mission to advance the field of diagnostics. Your expertise and resources are crucial for the realization of joint projects about the diagnostics of viruses, bacteria, and cancers. We believe that together, we can make significant strides in this important area of research.
Prof. Berezovski's research group is a part of the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Ottawa, located in downtown Ottawa, Canada's capital. We are proud to be part of this vibrant academic community and to contribute to the city's reputation as a hub for scientific research.
Our research interests:
(1) Bioanalytical Chemistry — the analysis of biomolecules and their non-covalent interactions with Kinetic Capillary Electrophoresis and Mass Spectrometry;
(2) Biosensors — the selection and application of DNA aptamers to proteins, live cells, bacteria, viruses, and exosomes for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes;
(3) Biological Mass Spectrometry — Aptamer-facilitated Biomarker Discovery (AptaBiD), Proteomics and Metabolomics of Extracellular Vesicles;
News About Us:
In August 2024, our article "Visualization of Brain Tumors with Infrared-Labeled Aptamers for Fluorescence-Guided Surgery” was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS). This collaborative effort between colleagues from Russia and our lab brought a technique called Aptamer-assisted Fluorescence-Guided Surgery (AptaFGS). It demonstrated the potential of DNA aptamers to locate brain tumours accurately. Through in vivo experiments on mouse and rabbit models, Cy7.5-labeled aptamers proved effective for intravenous and surface applications, offering a clearer visualization of tumour boundaries. This breakthrough AptaFGS presents a promising step toward more precise brain tumour surgeries, reducing dosage needs and minimizing patient risk.
We look forward to seeing how AptaFGS can shape the future of neurosurgery.
The picture was created by Dr. Felix Tomilin.
In August 2024, Zoran, Cici, Maxim, Sasha, Petr, Emil, and Abdullah (left to right) attended the 40th Trent Conference on Mass Spectrometry and presented research results.
In June 2024, Vanessa Isabelle Martinez received the Ontario Graduate Scholarship for her MSc project investigating female personal care professionals' exposure to endocrine disruptors through non-targeted mass spectrometry analysis. Congratulations!
2024 June, Yingxi (Cici) Li delivered an outstanding presentation at the ICASS 2024 conference in Niagara Falls.
2024 March, A new episode of the Molecular Therapy Podcast is out now! In this episode, Dr. Maxim Berezovski (University of Ottawa) discusses a recent article on COVID-19 diagnostics published in Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids with Dr. Paloma Giangrande.
In March 2024, Emil Zaripov successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis in Biology. Supreme Achievement!
In August 2023, Suttinee Poolsup successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis in Chemistry! Congratulations!
2023, Gurcharan Uppal, Yuxuan (Carlos) Gu, and Rochelle D'Mello successfully defended their M.Sc. thesis in Chemistry! Congratulations to all!
In June 2023, Yuxuan (Carlos) Gu and Gurcharan Uppal received the CSC 2023 Analytical Poster Awards in Vancouver. Excellent recognition!
2022 June, Emil Zaripov received an award for the poster in the Analytical Division at CCCE 2022 in Calgary. Молодец!
In June 2022, Cici Li, Suttinee Poolsup, Emil Zaripov, and Dr. Maxim Berezovski did well presenting two posters and three talks at the CCCE 2022 conference in Calgary.
2022 April, Nico Huttmann successfully defended his M.Sc. thesis in Chemistry!
2022 January, our article Structure- and Interaction-Based Design of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Aptamers was highlighted as a Cover Feature in Chemistry – A European Journal:
2021 December, our article 11C-Radiolabeled Aptamer for Imaging of Tumors and Metastases Using Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography was chosen for a Cover Page in Molecular Therapy - Nucleic Acids:
In September 2021, Rochelle D'Mello and Yuxuan (Carlos) Gu started their M.Sc. study in Chemistry. Elnaz Yaghoobi began her Ph.D. study in Chemistry. All the best in your journey!
In May 2021, Gurcharan Uppal started her M.Sc. study in Chemistry. Welcome to uOttawa and our lab!
In February 2021, Yingxi (Cici) Li started her M.Sc. study in Chemistry. Welcome to uOttawa and our lab!
2020 September, Congratulations to Emil Zaripov for receiving the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science & Technology!
2020 August, Yuchu Dou, Lixuan Ren, Vanessa Susevski successfully defended their M.Sc. theses in Chemistry! Congratulations!
2020 May, Prof. Dr. Berezovski received funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), in partnership with Lumex Instruments Canada, to develop a new type of COVID-19 diagnostic test that detects both the SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA and proteins. This dual detection method will provide a comprehensive diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in various biological fluids (blood, saliva, sputum, nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swabs). It can be performed in 2 hours and will be much more specific than current tests that only detect viral RNA.
In April 2020, Yousef Risha obtained a Master of Science in Chemistry degree! Congratulation!
2020 April, our article Molecular Epitope Determination of Aptamer Complexes of the Multidomain Protein C-Met by Proteolytic Affinity-Mass Spectrometry was published on Front Cover in ChemMedChem:
In March 2020, Prof. Dr. Maxim Berezovski received a research grant from the government of Canada to develop an aptamer-based diagnostic test for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Read public news at uOttawa, FoS, OttawaSun, CBC News.