About the Sarkaria Institute (SIPTI)
Physiology and Toxicology as Key Disciplines in the Life Sciences
An important context for our research is recent fundamental advances in the life sciences. Physiology - the study of how organisms work - is the linchpin that connects functional genomics and systems biology with organismal function. Toxicology, the study of adverse effects of chemicals on organisms, is important in the design of chemicals for insect pest control, and to understand how insects evolve in response to toxins in their environments.
Insects are ideal organisms for physiological and toxicological investigation because
1. The genomes of many insects are available
2. The insects include many species amenable to research
3. The fundamentals of the physiology and toxicology of insects are well-understood at the organismal level
Our discipline has multiple applications for the benefit of society and the environment
- Management of insect pests and disease vectors Insect physiology and toxicology underpin the rational design of novel and improved strategies to control agricultural pests and invasive insect species that threaten agriculture, forestry and human/animal health. Through genomic science, novel targets and control strategies are being identified.
- Biomedical models of human diseases Many cellular and signaling processes are conserved across animals, and insects are suitable to investigate the basis of various diseases without the ethical concerns and costs of mammalian models.
- Predicting the impacts of climate change on insect pest and beneficial insects Physiological data are vital to explanations of current impacts of climate change on insect species distributions and extinctions, and to predict future impacts.
In these ways, insect physiology and toxicology contribute to advancing productive and sustainable agriculture, supporting a safe, secure food supply and promoting wise stewardship of the environment.
History of SIPTI
SIPTI was established in 2002 through the generosity and foresight of Daljit S. Sarkaria PhD'48 (Entomology) and Elaine Sarkaria, when Professor Jeffrey G. Scott was appointed the first Sarkaria Professor of Insect Physiology and Toxicology, and the first Patton lecture was held. The Institute was strengthened by the hiring of Professor Angela Douglas, who became the Sarkaria Professor in 2008. The institute currently comprises Professors Angela Douglas, Jeff Scott and Ping Wang. In 2007, the first graduate students were supported by SIPTI.
Cultured Trichoplusia ni cell stably transformed with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene: phase contrast (left) and fluorescence (right) microscopy images. [P. Wang et al. unpublished] 
Silver-stained 1DE-gel of aphid saliva showing bands subjected to LC-MS/MS. APGs are EST contigs (available at 
Pairwise scatterplots showing correlation of fluxes in reactions of the histidine and purine biosynthetic pathways of Buchnera aphidicola, the symbiotic bacterium in aphids, as calculated by flux balance analysis. A positive correlation between a pair of reactions is inferred when the majority of points on a given scatterplot fall on a diagnonal line with positive gradient. [Thomas et al. 2009. BMC Systems Biology 3, 24]