Welcome to the Website of PROTEO

 

About Us

PROTEO, The Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Structure, and Engineering (formerly CREFSIP),is a network of 33 research teams from seven universities working on every aspects of proteins, from their chemistry to their physiological roles:

The efforts of the network also aim at promoting applications of the knowledge derived from its research. The area covered by PROTEO represents a strategic sector in full growth wich has undeniable economic benefits for the province of Quebec in the parmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries.

It is important to mention the timeliness of PROTEO. Indeed, the complete mapping of the human genome and other major living organisms (bacteria, yeast, plants) was a major scientific breakthrough. However, the only way to explain the molecular function and dysfunction of organisms at the molecular level is to study the proteins resulting from genetic translation. The understanding of proteins is thus the fundamental link which will lead to the development of environmentally friendly industrial biocatalysts, of biodedegradable materials, bioreactors for detoxification, etc.

Proteins have a structure that is far more complex than that of nucleic acids, and many have to undergo major post-transcription structural modifications to aquire their active form. Since the function of a protein is related to its three-dimensional structure, understanding the structure-function relationship is extremely important.

This fundamental work on proteins will constitute the cornerstone of the most significant scientific developments for the coming decade. Considering the complexity of proteins, the study of great scope problematics concerning these biomolecules necessarily involves the pooling of multiple diversified expertises and costly research infrastructures.

It is thus particularly convenient to support multidisciplinary network whose scientific mission is to study protein properties and characterization. Such groups already exist in the world, and it is crucial to create and maintain this kind of scientific environment in Quebec, where the majority of Canadian pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical research companies are concentrated.

It is thus in this context of great scientific upheavals that the Fonds québécois de recherche sur la nature et les technologies (FQRNT) recognized in 2008 the relevance, timeliness and scientific quality of both our members and their work by granting PROTEO a $2 M grand for 6 years as part of the Strategic Clusters Program.