Academic Profile : Faculty
Assoc Prof Guillaume Thibault
Assistant Dean (International Engagement), College of Science, School of Biological Sciences
Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences
Assistant Dean (International Engagement), College of Science
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Guillaume Thibault PhD is a biochemist/cell biologist with 20 years of experience in cellular stress responses and quality control. He obtained his Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof Walid Houry from the Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Canada. He was then a postdoc in Dr Davis Ng’s laboratory at Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Singapore. He joined the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to set up his research programme focusing on cellular stress and lipid homeostasis with funding from the prestigious Elite Nanyang Assistant Professorship Award and was subsequently promoted to Associate Professor (tenured). He secured more than S$ 3.3M in external funding as a principal investigator at SBS, NTU. He has published more than 40 papers and has an h-index of 21. He holds a joint appointment as co-Principal Investigator at the Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore. He is Associate Editor of Molecular Biology of the Cell and Cell Biology International. He is also the founding President of the Society for Cell Biology Singapore (SCBS).
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
2013 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore
2007 Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Canada
2002 B.Sc. in Biochemistry, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
1999 Diploma in Analytical Chemistry, Collège Ahuntsic, Canada
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
2013 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore
2007 Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Canada
2002 B.Sc. in Biochemistry, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
1999 Diploma in Analytical Chemistry, Collège Ahuntsic, Canada
LIPID REGULATION IN EUKARYOTES
Hundreds of distinct lipids, of varying concentrations, assemble to form biological membranes. The most abundant, phospholipids, varies according to head group structures, acyl chain length and double bounds. In eukaryotes, lipid compositions can differ widely among organelles. In most cases, the biological significance of these differences remains unclear
The complex organization of cellular membranes suggests the need of sophisticated homeostatic regulatory mechanisms. Links were made with an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway called the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR activation is required to ease the damaging effects of ER stress. Yeast relies exclusively on the Ire1p pathway while metazoans have two additional UPR outputs. This characteristic makes budding yeast a very attractive model organism since its sole UPR pathway can be easily manipulated. Normally, this response leads to ER homeostasis by facilitating refolding of proteins and enhancing recognition and degradation of misfolded proteins. Meant to be temporary, the UPR must be deactivated to avoid cell death due to chronic ER stress. Many diseases, such as Alzheimer, Parkinson, diabetes mellitus type 2, and hepatic steatosis, have been linked to recurrent ER stress.
Hundreds of distinct lipids, of varying concentrations, assemble to form biological membranes. The most abundant, phospholipids, varies according to head group structures, acyl chain length and double bounds. In eukaryotes, lipid compositions can differ widely among organelles. In most cases, the biological significance of these differences remains unclear
The complex organization of cellular membranes suggests the need of sophisticated homeostatic regulatory mechanisms. Links were made with an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway called the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR activation is required to ease the damaging effects of ER stress. Yeast relies exclusively on the Ire1p pathway while metazoans have two additional UPR outputs. This characteristic makes budding yeast a very attractive model organism since its sole UPR pathway can be easily manipulated. Normally, this response leads to ER homeostasis by facilitating refolding of proteins and enhancing recognition and degradation of misfolded proteins. Meant to be temporary, the UPR must be deactivated to avoid cell death due to chronic ER stress. Many diseases, such as Alzheimer, Parkinson, diabetes mellitus type 2, and hepatic steatosis, have been linked to recurrent ER stress.
- Targeting Host-Pathogen Synergy in Wound Infection
- Age-related mRNA degradation by endoplasmic reticulum stress sensor IRE1
- Endomembrane System Architecture, Dynamics, and Functions in Aging Cells and Tissues (PI Guillaume Thibault)
- Exploring the role of the endoplasmic reticulum in epithelial cell differentiation
- From Plants to Antibiotics: Unlocking the Biosynthetic Pathways and Mode-of-Action of Antibacterial Compounds from Singaporean Flora
- Connect choline deficiency during pregnancy with unfolded protein response and Alzheimer diseases
Fellowships & Other Recognition
2013-2016 • The Elite Nanyang Assistant Professorship Award 2013, Nanyang Technological University.
2009-2011 • Singapore Millennium Foundation Post-Doctoral Award (competitive fellowship).
2006-2007 • Fonds de Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies du Québec Graduate Scholarship.
2006 • David A. Scott Award, Department of Biochemistry – University of Toronto (DB-UofT). Best all-round Graduate Student.
2004-2006 • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS D), Doctoral research.
2004 • Bradley Pett Graduate Award for academic excellence, DB-UofT.
2004 • Beckman Coulter Award for best first-author publication, DB-UofT.
2003 • 3rd place poster award (M.Sc. category), DB-UofT.
2002-2004 • NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS A), Master research.
2002 • NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award, UofT.
2002 • Boehringer Ingelheim Award in biochemistry for academic excellence, UQAM Foundation.
2009-2011 • Singapore Millennium Foundation Post-Doctoral Award (competitive fellowship).
2006-2007 • Fonds de Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies du Québec Graduate Scholarship.
2006 • David A. Scott Award, Department of Biochemistry – University of Toronto (DB-UofT). Best all-round Graduate Student.
2004-2006 • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS D), Doctoral research.
2004 • Bradley Pett Graduate Award for academic excellence, DB-UofT.
2004 • Beckman Coulter Award for best first-author publication, DB-UofT.
2003 • 3rd place poster award (M.Sc. category), DB-UofT.
2002-2004 • NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS A), Master research.
2002 • NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award, UofT.
2002 • Boehringer Ingelheim Award in biochemistry for academic excellence, UQAM Foundation.
Courses Taught
BS3022 Protein Trafficking • Course Coordinator
BS3340 Science of aging and life extension in C. elegans • Course Coordinator
BS3340 Science of aging and life extension in C. elegans • Course Coordinator
Supervision of PhD Students
CURRENT
1. Saeed Alzahrani 2021 – present Sole Supervisor
2. Ahmed Muhammad 2023 – present Sole Supervisor
3. Rahim Abdul 2023 – present Sole Supervisor
4. Karthik Raja 2023 – present Sole Supervisor
5. Abhigna Battineni 2024 – present Sole Supervisor
GRADUATED
1. Benjamin NG 2013 – 2018 Sole Supervisor Lipid perturbation compromises UPR-mediated ER homeostasis Lead Research Scientist, Eatobe Pte. Limited
2. Peter SHYU Jr. 2014 – 2019 Sole Supervisor Yeast FIT2 homologs mediate the crosstalk between stress response pathways and cellular proteostasis Biotechnology specialist, Shusaku Yamamoto Patent Law Offices, Osaka, Japan
3. Chia Rui NING 2015 – 2019 Co-Supervisor Leucine rich alpha-2-glycoprotein 1 as a novel therapeutic target in diabetes-related cardiovascular diseases Research Fellow, Duke-NUS
4. Njah Kizito NGWA 2015 – 2020 Co-Supervisor The role of agrin in angiogenesis Post-Doctoral Fellow, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada
5. Nurulain HO 2015 – 2020 Sole Supervisor An intact Ire1 transmembrane domain is necessary for UPR activation upon lipid bilayer stress in S. Cerevisiae Research Fellow, CSI Singapore
6. Xiu Hui FUN 2016 – 2020 Sole Supervisor Adaptor protein WDF3 is neuroprotective by counteracting age-dependent decline in proteostasis Consultant, freelance
7. Jhee Hong KOH 2016 – 2021 Sole Supervisor Divergent Activation of the Unfolded Protein Response During Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress R&D Lead, Peptobiotics
1. Saeed Alzahrani 2021 – present Sole Supervisor
2. Ahmed Muhammad 2023 – present Sole Supervisor
3. Rahim Abdul 2023 – present Sole Supervisor
4. Karthik Raja 2023 – present Sole Supervisor
5. Abhigna Battineni 2024 – present Sole Supervisor
GRADUATED
1. Benjamin NG 2013 – 2018 Sole Supervisor Lipid perturbation compromises UPR-mediated ER homeostasis Lead Research Scientist, Eatobe Pte. Limited
2. Peter SHYU Jr. 2014 – 2019 Sole Supervisor Yeast FIT2 homologs mediate the crosstalk between stress response pathways and cellular proteostasis Biotechnology specialist, Shusaku Yamamoto Patent Law Offices, Osaka, Japan
3. Chia Rui NING 2015 – 2019 Co-Supervisor Leucine rich alpha-2-glycoprotein 1 as a novel therapeutic target in diabetes-related cardiovascular diseases Research Fellow, Duke-NUS
4. Njah Kizito NGWA 2015 – 2020 Co-Supervisor The role of agrin in angiogenesis Post-Doctoral Fellow, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada
5. Nurulain HO 2015 – 2020 Sole Supervisor An intact Ire1 transmembrane domain is necessary for UPR activation upon lipid bilayer stress in S. Cerevisiae Research Fellow, CSI Singapore
6. Xiu Hui FUN 2016 – 2020 Sole Supervisor Adaptor protein WDF3 is neuroprotective by counteracting age-dependent decline in proteostasis Consultant, freelance
7. Jhee Hong KOH 2016 – 2021 Sole Supervisor Divergent Activation of the Unfolded Protein Response During Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress R&D Lead, Peptobiotics