Researcher Profile

Hamid R. Habibi

Job Title: Professor
Employer: University of Calgary Department of Biological Sciences
Place of Birth:
Public School attended: Southend College of Technology, Southend-on-sea, England. (G.C.E. Advanced level), Luton College of Technology, Luton, England. (GCE)
Further Education: University of Aston in Birmingham, Birmingham, England (B.Sc. - 1979; Ph.D. - 1983),
Geographic focus of research: Alberta, Italy, France, Greece

Brief synopsis of current research:
Research in my laboratory is centered on the endocrine control of reproduction and growth. Emphasis is placed on two levels of regulatory systems: i) Control of pituitary gonadotropin and growth hormone gene expression by hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and gonadal steroids, and ii) paracrine regulation of ovarian function by GnRH and growth factors. My research provided novel information on GnRH functional diversity in a number of cell types of fish and mammalian origin and developed technologies relevant to pharmaceutical and agri-food industries. These include development of: 1) novel GnRH agonists with improved ovulatory and antitumor properties, and 2) development of methods for quantification environmental endocrine disruptors, and 3) method for enhancing growth rate in cultured fish species, using transgenic canola seeds expressing fish growth hormone.

Mailing address:
Department of Biol Sciences and Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, University of Calgary, 2500 Univ. Dr. N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
Phone: (403)220 5270/5015; Fax: (403)282-0048, 289-9311
E-mail:
habibi@ucalgary.ca Website:
www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~habibi/

Recent Publications:

Pati D. and Habibi HR (2000) Direct action of GnRH variants on goldfish oocyte meiosis and follicular steroidogenesis. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, in press.

Habibi H.R.(1999) Gonadotropin-releasing hormone as a paracrine regulator of ovarian function. In: Neural Regulation in the Vertebrate Endocrine System.(Rao PD and Peter RE eds), Kluwer Academic/Plenum, N.Y., 1999,ISBN:0-306-46127-7, pp101-111.

Habibi H.R. and Matsoukas JM (1999) Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone: Structural and Functional Diversity. In: Bioactive Peptides in Drug Discovery and Design: Medical Aspects Volume 22 in Biomedical and Health Research ( J. Matsoukas and T. Mavromoustakos eds) IOS Press, 1999, PP. 247-255.

Mahmoud SS., Wang S., Moloney MM. and Habibi HR. (1998 ) Production of A Biologically Active Novel Goldfish Growth Hormone in Escherichia coli. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 120: 657-663.

Matsoukas, J.M., Keramida, M, Panagiotopoulos, D., Mavromoustakos, T., Maia, H.L.S., Bigam, G., Pati, D., Habibi, H.R., Moore G.J. ( 1997) 1H-NMR studies of gonadotropin-releasing hormone conformation by nuclear overhauser effect spectroscopy and design of novel GnRH analogue, [Tyr(OMe)5, D-Lys6, Aze9-NHEt]-GnRH: Aromatic ring clustering and receptor binding activity. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry : 32:927-940.