Elizabeth Macdonald
Senior Research Technician
• The impact of genetic modifications on tumour          initiation and progression in mouse models of ovarian cancer
• Responsible for managing and maintaining  transgenic mouse lines
• Managing the Ottawa Ovarian Cancer Tissue Bank (overseen by Dr. Vanderhyden), which involves collecting and processing ovarian tumour tissue and maintaining corresponding records

Galaxia Rodriguez
Senior Research Associate
• Enhancing ovarian cancer immunogenicity
• Modification of oncolytic viruses to improve efficacy in ovarian cancers
• Development and testing of novel immune therapies in models of ovarian cancer
• Fun fact: If you want to survive, everything is about presenting your peptides and activating the T lymphocytes

Laura Forrest
MD-PhD candidate
• Function of GREB1 in ovarian cancer progression in estrogen-dependent and -independent models
• Clinical relevance of GREB1 as a potential biotherapeutic target

Melanie Grondin
MD-PhD candidate
• Function of transglutaminase 2 (TG2) in ovarian cancer progression and chemoresistance
•Establishing the feasibility of novel TG2 inhibitors in the treatment of ovarian cancer

Edward Yakubovich
PhD candidate
• Exploration of epithelial-mesenchymal transition dynamics in ovarian cancer.
• Analysis of receptor-ligand interactions in high-grade serous ovarian cancer.
• Machine learning to identify novel gene programs inherent in ovarian cancer cells.

Sara Asif
PhD candidate
• Role of group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) in the inflammatory response during mammalian ovulation
• The contribution of androgen-responsive ILC2s in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

Yalun Zhu
PhD candidate
• Determining the role of the Hippo signalling pathway in ovarian cancer
• Computational analysis of high-throughput sequencing data
• Fun fact: Allergic to UV and luckily a scientist who is protected from UV most of the time.

Alyssa Murray
MD-PhD candidate
• Investigating the effects of BRCA1/2 mutations in human ovarian fibrosis as a risk factor for ovarian cancer
• Determining whether metformin can be used as a preventative treatment for ovarian fibrosis in women at high risk for ovarian cancer
• Fun fact: I was a former competitive figure skater and I can’t wait to enjoy the Rideau Canal in the wintertime!

Dalia Ibrahim
MD-PhD candidate
• Understanding the role of Transglutaminase 2 (TG2) in the ovarian tumour microenvironment
• Testing the therapeutic benefit of TG2 inhibitors
• Fun fact: I’ve visited the pyramids!

 

Maryam Echaibi
MSc candidate
 • Elucidating the regulatory pathways of SLPI (Secretory Leukocyte Protease Inhibitor)
• Identifying the impact of SLPI expression on the ovarian tumour immune microenvironment
• Fun fact: Likes to contribute to the community by volunteering with non-profit organizations as well as enjoying nature in all seasons.

 

Olivia Piccolo
MSc candidate
• Investigating the relationship between BRCA1 mutations and the accelerated onset of ovarian cancer
• Determining whether BRCA1 mutations are implicated in age-associated ovarian fibrosis
• Fun fact: Cows are my favourite animal.

Erin Fletcher
MSc candidate
• Studying how MHC Class I downregulation plays a role in ovarian cancer
• Determining if lost MHC Class I gene expression can be recovered using vaccinia virus expressing NLRC5