We are recognized as a leading research group in the intersection of organic photochemistry and microscopy imaging. Our research centers on designing, synthesizing and using fluorescent molecular probes and on developing fluorescence microscopy methods that combined provide unprecedented detail of chemical and biologically relevant processes with unsurpassed spatial-temporal resolution and sensitivity. The hallmark of our program lies in visualizing and monitoring the motions of molecules one at a time, by tracing fluorescence emission at the single-molecule level, unraveling properties otherwise hidden in bulk ensembles. We create unique “movies” – sequences of molecular recognition and assembly processes as they lead to increasingly complex nano- and meso-scale structures. Our work has shed light on the mechanical workings of single macromolecules, notably of key proteins in DNA and RNA viral genome replication of HCV, HIV and currently ongoing SARS-CoV-2. His work has also provided key insights on the structure and dynamics of DNA-based nanostructures. It also enabled us to map and track in real-time reactive oxygen species (ROS) in living cells, providing key insights into these elusive cellular species, associated with homeostasis, disease and aging.
Gonzalo Cosa received his Licentiate in Chemistry from Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto, Argentina, in 1996. He went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Chemistry (Photochemistry) at the University of Ottawa (2002) and was next a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas at Austin involved in single molecule fluorescence biophysical studies on HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein. In 2005, he joined the Department of Chemistry at McGill University as Assistant Professor, becoming Associate Professor in 2011 and being promoted in 2016 to Professor. His research centers on designing, synthesizing, and using fluorescent molecular probes, and on developing fluorescence microscopy methods, that when combined provide unprecedented detail of chemical and biologically-relevant processes with unsurpassed spatial-temporal resolution and sensitivity. His work has shed light on the mechanical workings of single macromolecules, notably on the interaction with DNA or RNA of key proteins involved in viral genome replication. His work has also provided key insights on the structure and dynamics of DNA-based nanostructures. His work also enabled mapping, in real time, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and electrophilic stress in living cells, providing key insights into these elusive cellular species, associated with homeostasis, disease and aging.