Newswise — Viruses are wily organisms, continually adapting and changing, while using a variety of ways to evade the immune system and cause damage.
University of Saskatchewan master's student Brett Trost has won a prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada—worth $50,000 a year for two years—that he hopes will help scientists stay one step ahead of viral evolution.
A U of S computer science grad, Trost is now working with supervisor Tony Kusalik to shed light on a recently discovered mechanism that viruses use to attack the body's cells and avoid detection.
It's known that certain viruses use small molecules of RNA (a chemical similar to DNA) called microRNA to prevent cells from producing proteins that could help defend the body against the virus.
If these microRNA molecules could be identified, it could help scientists answer important questions. What kinds of proteins do these microRNA molecules prevent the body from producing? How does this affect the body's response to the virus? Can we create drugs or therapies that can disable or destroy these microRNA molecules?
"Answering these questions will greatly enhance our understanding of viruses and will ultimately allow us to gain the upper hand in the fight against many viral diseases," says Saskatoon native Trost. "Unfortunately, the portions of the viral genome that encode these microRNA molecules are very difficult to locate. This is hampering efforts to identify and study them."
His love of both computers and natural sciences led him to the exciting new field of bioinformatics—research that intersects biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and statistics, enabling computer science techniques to be applied to biological problems such as virus mutation.
Trost's project will develop a computer program that uses statistical methods to accurately predict what portions of a viral genome encode microRNA molecules. Specifically, the program will be used to locate microRNA molecules in the hepatitis C virus, work that will then be verified at the U of S Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization.
Lab techniques commonly used to verify predicted microRNA are time-consuming and expensive, so accurate computational prediction techniques are extremely important in advancing this research.
"The chance to discover something that provides meaningful insight into the world around us—or find something that can improve people's lives—is what motivates me to do research," says Trost.
Winning the scholarship allows Trost to pursue his studies without financial pressure.
"I really like research and teaching, so being a professor seems like the perfect career for me," says Trost. "To paraphrase my supervisor, it's a career in which you get paid to be curious. That seems perfect, doesn't it?"
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