NL funds new lab tech at Memorial U

ST. JOHN’S – Newfoundland and Labrador will spend more than $450,000 to help bring state-of-the-art medical equipment to Memorial University. It will be used to buy an Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry system, allowing students to explore the potential causes of chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Alzheimer’s and Multiple Sclerosis.

With new equipment in-hand, Memorial University will set up a Multidisciplinary Metabolomics Laboratory at the Core Sciences Facility to train upwards of 45 professionals over the next five years, including laboratory technicians, postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate students.

The lab is being spearheaded by Dr. Shyamchand Mayengbam, Dr. Kapil Tahlan, and Dr. Guangju Zhai, with the goal of developing new dietary interventions, and the discovery of novel microbial metabolites and antibiotics.

“Our support for this new laboratory will help our scientists conduct groundbreaking research while also training our next generation of scientists, technicians and researchers,” said Technology Minister Andrew Parsons (pictured).

“This will bring world leading infrastructure to Memorial University and will progress research programs specific to obesity linked diseases, chronic diseases, and osteoarthritis.”