Aaliya Naaz
PhD, Dr. Kachroo’s lab
I am currently working on humanization of fission yeast.
SynBioApps
Canada's first training program for Synthetic Biology
Supported by the NSERC-CREATE program
Overview Training activities Research faculty Student profiles
Brandon Jaunky
MSc, Dr. Kharma's lab
My research focuses on introducing modularity to the nuclease deficient CRISPR/dCas9 system by controlling its half-life in yeast. I will also combine the system with transcriptional activating domains to study oscillating effects.
Curtis Logan
MSc, Dr. Brett’s lab
My research focuses on the humanization of yeast for bio-therapeutic applications. I am constructing a library of yeast with the ability to produce exosomes containing human gene products that can be internalized by target human cell populations. These nanoparticles have exciting potential applications as vehicles for gene therapy, therapeutic RNAs and novel biologics.
Dulce Valdez
MSc, Dr. Kwan’s lab
My project focuses on the identification of selective glycosyltransferase inhibitor molecules targeting cell surface fucosylation in cancer using a high-throughput assay.
Felipe Perez
MASc, Dr. Shih’s and Dr. Potvin-Trottier’s labs
My project consists in developing a high-throughput platform for single cell screening using microfluidics and optics. It will allow us to culture clonal cell lines and isolate individual cells with desired traits using optical tweezers.
Gaëlle Serena Kouyoumdjian
MSc, Dr. Whiteway’s lab
High throughput screening has identified candidate genes in Candida albicans whose absence either sensitizes or increases resistance to potential antifungal plant extracts. Creating double mutant gene combinations, my project will identify whether the simultaneous inactivation of genes results in a synergistic behavior and help establish how these plant extracts function.
Hananeh Ghafelehbashi
PhD, Dr. Whiteway’s and Dr. Kachroo's labs
My research focus is on identifying the essential and non-essential genes in the Candida albicans GRACE library by CRISPR-mediated deletions.
Henri Thomas
MASc, Dr. Kharma's lab
My research is focused on the computational design of RNA-based circuits for selective targeting and silencing of pathogenic genes.
Jacob Sicheri
MSc, Dr. Kwan’s lab
My research aims to identify and improve enzyme catalysts for the production of sustainable polymers. Using high-throughput directed evolution, this research aims to decrease dependence on fossil fuels for modern plastics.
Jay Pimprikar
MASc, Dr. Shih’s lab
My research focuses on hybridizing synthetic biology and microfluidics to create a novel, low-cost in-vitro diagnostic for infectious disease detection. I am working on building a protein-based biosensor for rapid analyte detection at the point-of-care.
Jenny-Ann Gagnon
MSc, Dr. Shih's lab
My project is designing an automated gut-on-a-chip device that would allow the testing of several conditions in parallel. I will use the device to test different types and concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents, as well as different bacteria strains found in the gut microbiota.
Keegan Scott
MSc, Dr. Kwan’s lab
My research focus is on identifying and creating tools for glycan engineering. These tools will be used to humanize the glycome of yeast exosomes to develop a novel system for delivering a payload into human cells.
Kevin Sehyuk Park
MSc, Dr. Lee’s lab
My research focuses on characterizing novel functions of Epidermal Patterning Factor-like genes in Arabidopsis thaliania using biocomputational, molecular and biochemical approaches.
Koa Wells
MASc, Dr. Kharma's lab
I am trying to develop a model for an oscillating gene circuit that will then be tested in a wet lab. The goal is for the circuit to have a short period of around 10-20 minutes.
Mackenzie Thornbury
PhD, Dr. Martin’s lab
My research focuses on creating a yeast biomanufacturing platform for the production of organic acids. Organic acids are the building blocks of many complex polymers and chemicals used extensively in industry. This platform aims to decrease the reliance on petrol-derived organic acids, offering a more sustainable solution for the chemical building blocks we all rely on.
Maria Orozco Hidalgo
MSc, Dr. Potvin-Trottier’s lab
My research focuses on investigating prion dynamics in single cell bacteria using a microfluidic device called the mother machine. This will be useful to understand protein-based inheritance.
Michelle Vandeloo
MSc, Dr. Kachroo’s lab
My research aim is to create and characterize a yeast model organism with a fully humanized sterol biosynthesis pathway. This model organism will be useful to study Mendelian diseases involving genes implicated in this essential metabolic pathway.
Nicholas Crudele
MSc, Dr. Shih’s lab
My research project is building a system for electrochemical sensing of metabolites produced by droplet encapsulated single yeast cells on a digital-droplet microfluidic device. I will also build a high throughput version capable of sensing the metabolites of 50 different single yeast cells with different DNA sequences associated with the production of the metabolite of interest.
Nicholash Bedi
MASc, Dr. Shih's lab
I am using microfluidic technologies to improve culture media for clean meat production.
Paige Allard
MSc, Dr. Potvin-Trottier’s lab
My research focuses on investigating the trade-off between metabolic burden and precision of synthetic circuits in E. coli. I use a microfluidic platform called the mother machine to observe single-cell dynamics in a tightly controlled environment.
Reuben Warkentin
MSc, Dr. Kwan's lab
My research aims to develop novel sugar binding proteins for use in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. We are using high-throughput directed evolution in combination with computational methods to excel the production of these binding proteins.
Sajinth Thampipillai
MSc, Dr. Wu (NRC) and Dr. Whiteway’s labs
My research project focuses on the fundamental aspects of engineering to improve GPCR signaling in yeast as a platform/tool for the study of heterologous GPCR and for potential for drug discovery.
Sara Ouadhi
PhD, Dr. Kwan’s lab
My research centers on developing sustainable methods towards natural product synthesis. Using directed evolution, molecular dynamics and high-throughput screening, I am developing efficient enzymatic pathways for glycosylated products. Furthermore, I am working on developing bioinformatics tools to predict efficiency of the designed artificial pathways.
Ziuwin Leung
MASc, Dr. Shih's lab
My projects focuses on miniaturizing and automating gene editing techniques using the microfluidic platform specifically for the study of CAR-T cells. The device aims to transfect and evaluate cells performance on chip in hopes of expediting new discoveries and potential treatment options for cancer patients.
