The Chemical Institute of Canada announced this month that Professor Voula Kanelis of the Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga, is the 2026 winner of the Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Lectureship Award.
According to the official CIC announcement, Kanelis's research group "has elucidated structures of ABC transporters, determined how disease-causing mutations compromise ABC protein structure and interactions, and demonstrated the regulatory role of phosphorylation for intrinsically disordered regions of ABC transporters and other proteins."
Kanelis said that she and her group have been working to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying regulation of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins. "Most ABC proteins use the energy from hydrolysis of ATP to move molecules such as nutrients or wastes across cellular membranes. ABC proteins can also function as channels that allow conductance of ions across membrane or can control the activities of other proteins," she explained. "The group has elucidated structures of a bona fide ABC transporter from yeast, in its monomeric and dimeric forms. We have also shown that disease-causing mutations in the cytosolic nucleotide binding domains of human regulatory ABC proteins compromise their structure and interactions in ways that could not be predicted from static structures."
Understanding mutations in these proteins can help scientists determine why some genetic mutations lead to disease, which can then guide the development of treatments.
The Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Lectureship Award is presented to a scientist who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of biological or medicinal chemistry within the past five years, while working in Canada. According to Kanelis, the award also recognizes the group's study of how intrinsically disordered regions regulate the activities of ABC proteins, K+ channels that specifically control the movement of potassium ions into and out of the cell, and a metallo-enzyme that hydrolyzes GTP and that contains two functionally-important metal-binding sites.
Professor Kanelis trained as a biochemist and structural biologist, fields she was originally drawn to because of her interest in understanding the fundamental molecular principles underlying biological processes. She and her group have made significant contributions to the area of ABC protein research. Their structure of a dimeric ABC protein was a first for the field and is consistent with biochemical data on ABC protein oligomers. Their work on the intrinsically disordered regions of ABC proteins, K+ channels, and a metallo-GTPase, which are largely invisible in protein structures, have uncovered the structural features of the disordered regulatory segments and provided insights into how they regulate the activities of their parent proteins.
"This work requires careful analysis of in-solution data from NMR spectroscopy and biochemical assays," she said. "The ABC transporter structures were determined with electron cryo-microscopy, a new area for our group. None of this work would be possible without the preparation of protein samples, which can be challenging. We have therefore developed novel assays and protocols for this purpose."
She appreciated the recognition of her work and that of her team. "I was truly surprised and delighted to be chosen for this award," she said. "I wish to thank my trainees for their hard work and scientific insights, as none of the successes of the Kanelis lab research program would be possible without their dedication."
The CIC is the latest body to take note of this research. Kanelis Group studies have been recognized in the past, garnering a New Investigator Award from the CIHR and a Wenner Gren Foundation Visiting Speaker Grant from Stockholm University for Kanelis. Professor Kanelis also received a King Charles III Coronation Medal for her work with the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada. As recipient of this newest honour, she will be invited to present an award lecture at the 2026 Conferences and Exhibition (x2026) in Toronto this spring.
Kanelis acknowledged NSERC and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, who provided funds for her research.