We are a Metabolic Engineering lab applying Synthetic Biology principles for production of high-value compounds in heterologous hosts. Targeting natural products from the terpenoid class, we endeavor to discover novel biological activities by exploring nature’s chemical space, engineer enzyme catalytic activities for tailored synthesis and optimize metabolic fluxes for high yields. We use yeast as the chassis of choice to move on precision fermentation from lab bench to industry scale. Thus, under the overarching umbrella of Bioengineering, we engage in interdisciplinary research aiming to provide solutions to real world problems in medicine, industry or agriculture.
Founded in 2020 at McGill University, Ignea Lab has rapidly brought together many students passionate about changing the world through Synthetic Biology
We believe in making our working environment more diverse and inclusive for successful research.
McGill University is situated on the unceded territories of the Indigenous People, Kanien'keha:ka (Ga-niyen-ge-haa-ga). The Kanien'keha:ka are the keepers of the Eastern Door of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. This island known as Montreal is known as Tio’tia:ke (Gio-Jaw-Gé) in the language of the Kanien’kehá:ka, and has historically served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst many First Nations including the Kanien’kehà:ka of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Huron/Wendat, Abenaki, and Anishinaabeg. We recognize and respect the Kanien’kehà:ka as the traditional custodians of the lands and waters on which we meet today. We understand and work against the ways in which colonial violence manifests in all facets of life, including but not limited to, exclusion and marginalization within academia, which has and continues to be used as weapons of colonialism.