معرفی
Julie D. Forman-Kay is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto and Program Head/Senior Scientist at the Molecular Medicine Program of the Research Institute of The Hospital for Sick Children. Her research focuses on the dynamic properties of proteins, particularly intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), and their functional roles in diseases like cystic fibrosis and neurological disorders.
Her work integrates nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, computational modeling, and biophysical techniques to study protein structure, folding, and interactions. Key areas include phase separation of disordered proteins, post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, and the structural dynamics of CFTR, the protein implicated in cystic fibrosis.
The Forman-Kay lab has pioneered tools like the ENSEMBLE program for modeling disordered protein states and has made significant contributions to understanding dynamic complexes in ubiquitin ligases and translational regulation. Current projects explore RNA processing bodies, CFTR regulation, and the interplay between protein disorder and function.
- 2016–2023: Canada Research Chair in Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (Tier 1)
- 2013–2014: Zellers Senior Scientist Award
- 2012: CSMB Jeanne Manery Fisher Memorial Lectureship
- 2000–2005: CIHR Scientist Award
- 1999–2004: Ontario Premier’s Research Excellence Award
- 1994–1999: MRC of Canada Scholarship
Julie Forman-Kay’s lab collaborates extensively with researchers such as Lewis Kay, Christine Bear, and Nahum Sonenberg. Her group trains graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in advanced techniques like NMR, fluorescence, ITC, and computational modeling. She co-chairs the CFTR Structure Consortium of the US Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics.
