Jensen Cherewyk, a University of Saskatchewan (USask) PhD student, has been awarded one of Canada’s most prestigious doctoral scholarships – Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship.
Cherewyk’s research focuses on mechanisms of the S-epimer - one of the different configurations of Sclerotia. Sclerotia is ergot fungus (Claviceps purpurea) that proliferates during the rainy and damp growing season. It contains ergot alkaloids and poisonous chemical compounds. S-epimer constitutes about 30 per cent of the alkaloid concentrations in affected grains.
“My research shows that the S-epimer is toxic and could have detrimental effects,” says Cherewyk. “I’m looking at how these epimers cause toxic effects and studying ways to detoxify them for livestock and potentially humans.”
Cherewyk’s work delves into how different concentrations of these alkaloids affect their impacts, and how grain storage times and temperatures affect the concentration of these compounds. Cherewyk is performing laboratory research on exposing ergot-contaminated grains to ammonia and exposing contaminated grains to ultraviolet light to detoxify ergot.
Dr. Barry Blakley (DVM, PhD), Professor in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and at USask’s Toxicology Centre, states worldwide standard for ergot are based only on the R-epimer. Cherewyk’s research will lead to the inclusion of both epimers in the standards.
Chereyk is a key contributor who have helped establish USask as the centre of ergot research in Canada and earned it international respect in the field. As a top tier recipient of the doctorial scholarship, Cherewyk will be awarded $35,000 a year for three years.