TRU Science Associate Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Kingsley Donkor (background) and undergraduate students Darren Bishop (foreground, right) and Akemi Darlington stand around a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer.
The high-tech instrument can quickly and precisely detect trace amounts of a substance.

Thompson Rivers University will receive $44,000 from the British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF) for equipment to conduct research into lantibiotics. Lantibiotics have the ability to combat infectious diseases which are resistant to conventional antibiotics.

The BCKDF funding will help TRU purchase a capillary electrophoresis instrument that will be dedicated to understanding lantibiotics in a research effort being conducted by TRU Chemistry professor, Dr. Kingsley Donkor. The research this instrument will make possible is expected to expand the therapeutic potential of lantibiotics and lead to their use in the diagnosis and treatment of pathogenic organisms, which in turn will be invaluable in the search for effective new antibiotics.

For Dr. Donkor the funding does more than expand the therapeutic potential of lantibiotics. The new equipment is crucial to providing the best undergraduate research opportunities to science students.

“Many of our top students have taken advantage of the research opportunities offered by our inquiry into the potential of lantibiotics and have gone on to earn prestigious national scholarships and entry into top ranked graduate programs,” Donkor said. “We appreciate that this grant from the BCKDF directly affects the research opportunities we can offer undergraduate students.”

“Many of our top students have taken advantage of the research opportunities offered by our inquiry into the potential of lantibiotics and have gone on to earn prestigious national scholarships and entry into top ranked graduate programs” – Dr. Kingsley Donkor, TRU Associate Professor Chemistry

The research is also expected to lead to the development of methods for rapid detection and identification of pathogenic micro-organisms in foods, and their manufacturing environment. This will benefit the B.C. food industry and result in a safer food supply in the province.

“Thompson Rivers University is an important institution in Kamloops,” says Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Terry Lake. “Projects like this add to the prestige of the University and support the talented researchers working there.”

The BCKDF helps public post-secondary institutions, teaching hospitals and affiliated non-profit research agencies to invest in research infrastructure. It aims to promote excellence in research, maximize the economic and social benefits of that investment, and encourage increased collaboration among the province’s post-secondary institutions and with industry. It also aims to improve British Columbia’s ability to attract and retain high-quality researchers and skilled technicians.