New Faculty Profile: Leluo Guan
Dr. Leluo Guan joins the Faculty as a Professor in the Applied Biology Program and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Animal Functional Genomics and Microbiome.
Dr. Guan received her Master’s degree and PhD in pharmaceutical science from Kyoto University. She then completed her postdoc at the University of Alberta (U of A) studying anti-cancer drugs, including how they can potentially inhibit cancer cell growth or kill cancer cells in humans.
After hearing about an exciting opportunity that incorporated her research on anti-cancer drugs and her passion for microbiology, Dr. Guan decided to pursue a job back in Japan.
“I decided to go back to Japan because I always wanted to go back to microbiology research and I love the ocean. They had a position open with anti-cancer drug discovery, specifically using marine bacteria, marine sponges and marine algae.”
She then decided to move back to Canada with her young family and returned to the U of A, where she had the opportunity to incorporate animals into her research for the first time.
Dr. Guan participated in a research team that contributed to the first genome sequencing in the International Bovine Genome Sequencing Project, a project that helps to advance our understanding of animal health research and reduce agriculture’s
impact on the environment.
Just prior to joining UBC, Dr. Guan was a Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the U of A, where she developed and led a world-class research program focused on microbial-host interactions and functional genomics in cattle.
Her research aims to improve production efficiency and the health and welfare of cattle, as well as reducing the carbon footprint of cattle, resulting in a more sustainable and competitive industry. For example, her research team is trying to use advanced genomics and microbiome technology to identify novel enzymes and probiotics that can improve digestive efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in cattle.
“If cattle digest feed more efficiently in the rumen, they produce less methane. Secondly, if they digest more feed in their gut, there
will be less feces secreted into the environment,” explains Dr. Guan.
At UBC, Dr. Guan has already collaborated with researchers in various fields, from food safety and dairy to aquaculture, chemistry
and computer science. “Microbiome-based novel solutions are very key and can be implemented into real, problem-solving situations. You can work everywhere – in environment, food, medicine, livestock, soil.”
Tagged with: 2024, Applied Biology, Faculty
