Faculty of Medicine

My research focuses on (1) identifying early signs of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) with the goal of facilitating earlier diagnosis and intervention and (2) understanding the neural basis of DCD through MRI, in order to better characterize the brain mechanisms underlying motor difficulties in children with DCD.

1. Integrin alpha6 mediates the invasion and metastasis of breast cancer cells.

2. Using chick embryo models to study breast cancer cell invasion and metastasis.

Huntington disease (HD) is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of a polyglutamine encoding CAG repeat in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Disease severity in HD has been found to be best predicted by the number of pure CAG repeats, rather than the total number of glutamines encoded. However, there is still significant additional variation observed, which is heritable. Among the factors that modify the age of onset of HD, there are synonymous variants that either add or remove interruptions to the HTT CAG and CCG repeats.

Using multiomics, flow cytometry, and functional studies, I discovered a T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) subtype dependent on MYCN. Building upon preliminary results that suggest an important role of H3K4 methylation in controlling MYCN gene expression in these leukemias, my present research seeks to identify the key epigenetic modifiers responsible for establishing or maintaining H3K4 methylation in the context of T-ALL development. Ultimately, this investigation may unveil novel pharmacological targets for better combating specific subtypes of T-ALL.

One of the most urgent crises of this century is the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We are rapidly heading towards a post-antibiotic era, in which treatable infections would once again be able to kill. Antibiotic-resistant infections are on track to cause ~10 million deaths annually by 2050. A currently underutilized tool to address AMR is vaccination. For my Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Vaccine Evaluation Center at the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, I am working Dr. Manish Sadarangani’s laboratory. I am running the Klebsiella pneumoniae research program. K.

DNA tapes for recording mammalian brain development

My project focuses on evaluating the knockdown of multiple genes and assessing their impact on treatment efficacy in sepsis and CAP patients. Specifically, I aim to develop novel drugs utilizing siRNA-LNPs through nanoparticle formulation modifications and exploring various siRNA sequences.

My research will involve exploring the underlying mechanisms in development of Treatment-resistant Prostate Cancer, with a particular focus on the dormancy (remission) stage.

I am interested in sex differences in the regulation of protein translation in pancreatic beta-cells. Pancreatic beta-cells are the only cells in the body that secrete insulin, a peptide hormone that lowers blood glucose. Therefore, beta-cells must synthesise and process large quantities of protein. In diabetes, beta-cells are subject to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, when insulin demand overwhelms the cell's capacity to process proteins.