Kyle Biggar

Biography

Kyle Biggar Assistant Professor Degrees: B.Sc. (St. Francis Xavier), Ph.D. (Carleton)

Research Interest

My lab is primarily interested in the discovery and characterization of how proteins coordinate and work together to achieve a particular cellular function, this is often referred to as functional proteomics. This includes how proteins dynamically interact with each other, how enzymes select substrates, as well as working to define the changes in protein signaling, or regulatory networks, that accompany disease progression or resistance to treatment. Specifically, my research focuses on reversible modifications made to proteins, called post-translational modifications (PTMs), and how lysine methylation PTM regulates protein-protein interactions and function. My lab also has experience with (1) mapping the substrate selection of enzymes, and (2) binding preferences of an interacting protein in order to create larger networks of protein interaction. This research is facilitated by using advanced biochemical and molecular biology techniques that include the synthesis of custom peptide arrays and implementation functional proteomic technologies in the screening of protein-protein and enzyme-substrate interactions. Students in my lab will be able to gain valuable experiences in both basic and advanced cellular and biochemical methods, and engage in interdisciplinary collaborative opportunities.