Lindyann Lessey, BSc

Ph.D. Candidate

Colorectal Cancer is a type of cancer that manifests itself in the lower part of the digestives system namely the colon/large intestine. Its start with abnormal growth of the cells lining the colon. In most cases the etiology is unknown but inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is said to be a leading cause. IDB is characterized by increased and uncontrolled inflammation of the gut. However, the mechanism by which IBD transitions or causes colon cancer is unknown. The goal of my research is to find a molecular pathway linking the transition of IBD to colorectal cancer. Kaiso, a transcription factor implicated in Colon Cancer and which is highly expressed in IBD will be utilized to establish this connection.

Stephanie Ali Fairbairn, BSc.

Ph.D. Student

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most challenging subtypes of breast cancer due to its highly heterogeneous and metastatic nature and lack of targeted therapies. TNBC is most prevalent in young women of African ancestry and is associated with a high mortality rate. The reason for this high TNBC incidence is currently unknown but it may be related to the increased expression of the transcription factor Kaiso. My research is focused on understanding the role of Kaiso in TNBC patients with an emphasis on women of African ancestry.

Hanad Adan, BSc., MSc.

Ph.D. Student

Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive and invasive breast cancer subtype. There is a growing body of evidence linking Kaiso, a dual-specificity transcription factor, to TNBC aggressiveness and metastatic However, the mechanism underlying Kaiso’s role in TNBC aggressiveness remains to be determined. We recently identified a positive feedback loop between Kaiso and TGFβ signaling, whose effector proteins also participate in breast cancer progression. My project aims to examine this putative feedback loop between Kaiso and TGFβ signaling to ultimately elucidate Kaiso's mechanism of action in TNBC aggressiveness and metastasis.

Jacob Howran

Fifth year thesis student

Jacob is in the Integrated Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences (HESE) program.

Lauren Jirik

Fifth year thesis student

Lauren is in the Biology and Pharmacology (Co-op) program.

Sanam Shokoohi

Fourth year thesis student

Sanam is in the Biology (Physiology Research Specialization) program.

Layaa Sivakumar, BSc.

Lab Manager