About us

About PROTEO

PROTEO, The Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Engineering, and Applications is a network of 74 research teams from 13 institutions working on all aspects of proteins, from their chemistry to their physiological roles:

• Université Laval
• Université de Sherbrooke
• Université de Montréal
• McGill University
• Concordia University
• Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
• INRS – Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie
• CERASP
• Université d’Ottawa
• Université du Québec à Montréal
• Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup
• Cégep de Shawinigan
• CNETE
• Conseil national de recherches Canada

Proteins are ubiquitous macromolecules that play essential physiological roles in the functioning of all living organisms. Not only are these biomolecules the main target of drugs used in the clinic, their use and manipulation are at the heart of biotechnological, prophylactic, industrial and environmental applications. Moreover, proteins offer innovative solutions to many socio-economic and environmental challenges facing society in Québec, such as the development of ecologically sustainable and inexpensive methods for the synthesis of artificial flavoring for the food industry, the development of preventive treatments for chronic diseases associated with aging, and the use of innovative bioprocesses to foster growth of the green economy.

Nevertheless, the fundamental study of the functioning of proteins within living organisms, their engineering at the molecular level, their biomanufacturing and their efficient use in biological systems remain complex and require a multidisciplinary research strategy and an integrated innovation chain. It is in this context that PROTEO’s unifying research theme is to understand at the molecular level the functioning of proteins in complex biological systems in order to exploit their full potential for applications in human health, agriculture, the food industry and the environment.