Structural biology, chemical biology and ligand discovery for challenging and understudied targets in human health and disease.
The Harding lab uses structural biology, protein biochemistry, biophysics and chemical biology to investigate challenging and understudied areas of human health and disease. We seek to uncover molecular mechanisms, develop high-quality chemical tools and identify new opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Our research spans repeat expansion disorders, including Huntington’s disease, and emerging areas such as non-hormonal contraception. We collaborate with academic and industry partners worldwide to accelerate fundamental discovery and early-stage drug development.
Renu graduated with an MS in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University. In the Harding Group, she oversees daily operations to support research focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration and advancing therapeutic strategies.
Swati earned her PhD at the Indian Institute of Science, specializing in biomolecular NMR and biophysics. She then pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University to gain expertise in cryo-EM. After a short stint at IIT Delhi, setting up and running a national Cryo-EM facility, Swati has joined the Harding lab with a fellowship awarded by the Hereditary Disease Foundation to study novel therapeutic protein targets for Huntington's disease.
Juana obtained her PhD in Organic Chemistry at Brock University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania in the Christianson Group, where she gained expertise in chemical biology and protein X-ray crystallography. She joined the Harding Lab in July 2026 as a UHN Canada Leads Postdoctoral Fellow to research promising targets for non-hormonal contraceptive development.
Rebeka Fanti joined SGC Toronto in January 2023 as a PhD student in the Molecular Genetics Department at the University of Toronto. She is exploring the potential application of macrocyclic peptides as tools to investigate the role of the Huntingtin protein in the cell.
Samira is a PhD student at the University of Toronto, co-supervised by Drs. R. Harding and A. Edwards. She completed a BSc in Genetics and MSc in Nanobiotechnology at the University of Tehran. Her current research focuses on a genetic neurodegenerative disorder.
Ailin joined the Harding Lab in September 2024 as a PhD student in the Pharmacology department at the University of Toronto. She completed her BSc in Biology at York University.
Rocher is a PhD student in the Pharmacology & Toxicology Department at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on ligand discovery for proteins involved in trinucleotide repeat expansion disorders, namely polyglutamine disorders such as Huntington’s disease and spinocerebellar ataxias. She is training in various techniques for the biophysical and structural characterization of proteins and ligands.
Meaghan joined the Harding Lab as an MSc student in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Toronto. She graduated with an HBSc in Fundamental Genetics and its Applications at the University of Toronto.
Lianna is an undergraduate student specializing in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Toronto. She is focused on using in vitro cell target engagement techniques to assess small molecule interactors and the role of Huntingtin in cells.