Gordon Chua
Biographical Abstract
Dr. Gordon Chua has recently been appointed an Assistant Professor in the Institute for Biocomplexity
and Informatics and the Department of Biological Sciences, and is the first professor with a core
functional genomics background to be hired by the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary. He
is an experienced fission yeast molecular geneticist and cell biologist with a Ph.D. from Queen’s
University, and has received extensive postdoctoral training in the development and applications of
multiple functional genomic approaches in the budding yeast at the University of Toronto. He has made
significant progress in several important systems biology areas including transcriptional-regulatory and
genetic-interaction networks, elucidating the mode-of-action of bioactive compounds and functional
characterization of genes and signaling pathways in budding yeast.
Dr. Chua is one of few researchers that have been trained first-hand on synthetic genetic array and
microarray technologies. His application of both technologies synergistically is a novel and innovative
systems approach for any biological problem. He has received over $1.1 million in funding from the
Canada Foundation for Innovation, Small Equipment Grants Program and the University of Calgary to
establish a state-of-the-art functional genomics laboratory. His research to study the molecular
regulators of mRNA stability and the transcriptional-regulatory network in fission yeast has received
funding from NSERC – Discovery, and CIHR – Operating. Using his expertise in functional genomics,
Dr. Chua has initiated a research project to identify and functionally characterize the critical genes
involved in hydrocarbon production and naphthenic acid bioremediation in algae. He has been
recommended for a Proof-of-Principle research grant from the Canada School of Energy and
Environment to develop algal strains for these applications.
Research Abstract
Two of the most promising applications of biotechnology with enormous economic and environmental
impact in Alberta include the bioremediation of naphthenic acids in the oil sands tailing ponds and the
production of biofuel. Both of these areas remain substantially understudied. Algae hold tremendous
potential for a new renewable source of biofuels. Several algal species are known to produce high
levels of lipid molecules that are very similar to the hydrocarbon molecules of fossil fuels. More
importantly, algae are fast growing, do not compete with agriculture and possess significant
photosynthetic capacity for sequestration of carbon dioxide.
However, a major hindrance in the advancement of commercial biofuel production by algae is that the
genes involved in the synthesis, regulation and transport of these important hydrocarbons remain
unknown. Recently, we have initiated a research plan to investigate the alga Dunaliella for applications
in biofuel production, and bioremediation of naphthenic acids. The most characterized species,
Dunaliella salina, contains lipid content of predominantly branched hexadecane derivatives. Nhexadecane is the model and compound for diesel fuel. In addition, several species of Dunaliella can
survive in very acidic and high salt environments, making them attractive candidates to possibly tolerate
and degrade naphthenic acids in tailing ponds. Levels of N-hexadecane content and degradation rates
of naphthenic acids will be assayed in several species of Dunaliella by gas chromatography and mass
spectrometry methods. The Dunaliella species that holds the most potential in these two applications
will be subjected to genome sequencing and microarray expression profiling to rapidly identify and
characterize the key genes that function in the production of diesel molecules and break-down of
naphthenic acids. These studies are anticipated to generate crucial knowledge in the application of this
organism, and serve as a framework to analyze other algal candidates for biofuel production and
bioremediation of naphthenic acids.