Dr. Enoka Wijekoon

Assistant Professor
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Email: 
ewijekoo@uoguelph.ca
Phone number: 
58055
Office: 
SSC 3248

I did my undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and graduated with a BVSc (Bachelor of Veterinary Science). After graduating, I joined the faculty’s Department of Clinical Studies as a lecturer and taught and worked as a clinician at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital for 3 years. I came to Canada for graduate studies and obtained a PhD in biochemistry from Memorial University of Newfoundland, working under the supervision of Dr. John T. Brosnan. There, I carried out metabolic and physiological studies in a rat model of type 2 diabetes, focussing on the metabolism of the amino acid homocysteine. After completing my PhD, I received a CIHR/Regional Partnership Program postdoctoral fellowship and moved to the Division of Biomedical Sciences at Memorial to study mechanisms of hypertension under Dr. John J. McGuire.

I first joined the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Guelph in 2009 as an instructor and taught in the undergraduate biochemistry program. I also acted as the faculty advisor for the biochemistry and the biochemistry co-op programs for 10 years. In July 2024, I took up a new position in the department as a teaching-focussed faculty member.

BVSc – Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

PhD – Dept. of Biochemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada

Postdoctoral Fellow – Division of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada

  1. Hughes KH, Wijekoon EP, Valcour JE, Chia EW, McGuire JJ. Effects of chronic in-vivo treatments with protease-activated receptor 2 agonist on endothelium function and blood pressures in mice. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2013 Apr;91(4):295-305. doi: 10.1139/cjpp-2012-0266.
  2. Chia E, Kagota S, Wijekoon EP, McGuire JJ. Protection of protease-activated receptor 2 mediated vasodilatation against angiotensin II-induced vascular dysfunction in mice. BMC Pharmacol. 2011 Sep 28;11:10. doi: 10.1186/1471-2210-11-10.
  3. Lamarre SG, Edison EE, Wijekoon EP, Brosnan ME, Brosnan JT. Suckling rat pups accumulate creatine primarily via de novo synthesis rather than from dam milk. J Nutr. 2010 Sep;140(9):1570-3. doi: 10.3945/jn.110.125476.
  4. Brosnan JT, Wijekoon EP, Warford-Woolgar L, Trottier NL, Brosnan ME, Brunton JA, Bertolo RF. Creatine synthesis is a major metabolic process in neonatal piglets and has important implications for amino acid metabolism and methyl balance. J Nutr. 2009 Jul;139(7):1292-7. doi: 10.3945/jn.109.105411.
  5. Wijekoon, E.P., Brosnan, M.E., Brosnan, J.T. Homocysteine metabolism in diabetes. Biochem Soc trans. 35: 1175-1179, 2007 doi: 10.1042/BST0351175. (Review)
  6. Wijekoon, E.P., Brosnan, M.E., Brosnan, J.T. Homocysteine metabolism, in Biochemistry of Atherosclerosis (S.Kaur, ed), Springer, New York, 329-357, 2006
  7. Ratnam, S., Wijekoon, E.P., Hall, B.N., Garrow, T. A., Brosnan, M.E., and Brosnan, J.T.  Effects of diabetes and insulin on betaine:homocysteine S-methyltransferase expression in rat liver. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2006 May;290(5):E933-9. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00498.2005.
  8. Wijekoon, E.P., Hall, B.N., Ratnam, S., Brosnan, M.E., and Brosnan, J.T.  Homocysteine metabolism in the Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rat: Effects of insulin resistance and of Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes 54 (11): 3245-51, 2005 doi: 10.2337/diabetes.54.11.3245.
  9. Wijekoon, E.P., Skinner, C., Brosnan, M.E., and Brosnan, J.T. Amino Acid Metabolism in the Zucker Diabetic fatty Rat: Effects of Insulin Resistance and of Type 2 Diabetes. Can. J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 82:506-514, 2004 doi: 10.1139/y04-067

Presentations

  1. Experimental Biology, Anaheim, CA (2010) Simon G Lamarre, Erica E. Edisson, Enoka P. Wijekoon, Margaret E. Brosnan, John T. Brosnan Creatine synthesis: the origin of creatine in rat milk. The FASEB Journal Volume 24, Issue S1 p. 556.18-556.18
  2. Experimental Biology, New Orleans, LA (2009) John McGuire, Keon Hughes, Sarah Halfyard, Enoka Wijekoon. Interaction of protease-activated receptor 2 with chronic angiotensin II-induced endothelial dysfunction in mice. The FASEB Journal Volume 23, Issue S1 p. 1017.15-1017.15
  3. Experimental Biology, San Diego, CA (2008) Enoka P. Wijekoon, Margaret E Brosnan, Šárka Lhoták, Richard C Austin, John T Brosnan. Rosiglitazone protects against beta cell destruction in ZDF (Type 2) diabetic rats. The FASEB Journal Volume 22, Issue S1 p. 614.8-614.8
  4. Experimental Biology, San Francisco, CA (2006) Enoka P. Wijekoon, Beatrice Hall, Shobhitha Ratnam, Margaret E Brosnan, John T Brosnan. Homocysteine Metabolism in ZDF, Type 2 Diabetic rats: Effects of Rosiglitazone. The FASEB Journal Volume 20, Issue 4 p. A97-A97
  5. 5th International conference on homocysteine, Milan, Italy (2005)                            
  6. Experimental Biology, Washington DC (2004)                                                           
  7. HUPO 2nd annual & IUBMB XIX world congress, Montreal, Canada (2003)

BIOC*2580 – Introduction to Biochemistry

BIOC*4580 – Membrane Biochemistry

Coordination

MCB*4500/4510 – Research Projects in Molecular and Cellular Biology I and II

MCB*4600 – Topics in Molecular and Cellular Biology

As a teaching-focussed faculty member and as an instructor of a large enrolment second year biochemistry course, I am interested in exploring ways of improving student engagement in large classes. I am also interested in studying the effectiveness of low-stakes assessments for improving students’ understanding and retention of information.