Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health Trainee Endowment Awards! These awards recognize excellence in academics and research activities of our trainees. Special thanks to our donors and the Graduate Program in Neuroscience for their generous support.
Leslie Ann Wyman Brain Tumour Research Endowment:
Warren Meyers, PhD student
Under the supervision of Dr. Kurt Haas, Warren is studying the influence of personal genetics on the biology of the gene DYRK1A and how it impacts brain cancer cell signalling and growth. This work will lead to a clearer understanding of personalized glioblastoma risk and the prioritization of patient populations for drug therapies.
Neural Repair (Spinal Cord) Endowment
Isa Samad, MSc student
Previous work in the Hilton lab has found that the activity of a protein called Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (Ezh2) may underlie the ability of immature neurons to elongate their axons during embryonic development. Under the supervision of Dr. Brett Hilton, Isa is focused on determining if Ezh2 expression can recapitulate axon growth competency in mature neurons within a mouse model of spinal cord injury.
DMCBH General Award:
Tyrone Ly, MSc student
Under the supervision of Dr. Todd Woodward, Tyrone is developing a battery of fMRI tasks that can be incorporated into a universal procedure for pre-surgical planning. These tests would enable clinicians to pre-map the patient’s brain before brain tumour removal, predicting the likelihood of neurological function impairments. This may help minimize surgery-related cognitive and behavioural issues.
Shalini Iyer, PhD student
Under the supervision of Dr. Mark Cembrowski, Shalini is investigating sex-specific L6b changes resulting from prenatal exposure to environmental risk factors of autism spectrum disorders. Uncovering more about the dysregulation of L6b genes may provide targets for therapeutic interventions.
Tatiana MacKeigan, MSc Student
Under the supervision of Dr. Mahmoud Pouladi, Tatiana is investigating Ermin, a promising candidate biomarker for myelin pathology and multiple sclerosis. Her project will determine the impacts of the loss of Ermin on myelination, white matter integrity, and potential dysregulation contributing to the pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis.
Margarita Kapustina, MSc Student
Under the supervision of Dr. Mark Cembrowski, Margarita aims to identify and spatially resolve neuronal populations within the L6b neocortex and characterize their functional contributions. This project will inform the scientific understanding of L6b and its neural subpopulations, potentially guiding translational innovations.
Ryan McCallum, PhD student
Under the supervision of Dr. Mahmoud Pouladi, Ryan is investigating the impact of a novel GPM6A mutation on neuronal development and function using human induced pluripotent stem cells. The GPM6A protein plays a role in the development and plasticity of the central nervous system and has been linked to intellectual disability.
Peter Hogg, PhD student
Under the supervision of Dr. Kurt Haas, Peter develops innovative tools and uses detailed molecular investigations to advance our understanding of neuronal development and synaptic organization. These findings can elucidate the fundamental principles of neuronal computation and help us understand the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Ninon Freidel, MSc student
Under the supervision of Dr. Clare Beasley, Ninon is exploring the role of CSMD1 in schizophrenia and how it might influence risk and pathogenesis in humans. This research may lead to the identification of early biomarkers in schizophrenic patients, allowing for early detection and intervention.
Akosua Kesewah Asare, PhD student
Under the supervision of Dr. Deborah Giaschi, Akosua is investigating the brain mechanisms underlying motion processing and a novel treatment for restoring motion perception in amblyopia (lazy eye). In addition, she is examining the utility of a naturalistic stimulus for assessing visual perceptual processing and comparing it to traditional lab-based stimuli.
Yeon Soo Seo, MSc Student
Under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Liu Ambrose, Yeon is assessing whether baseline depressive symptoms moderate the effects of exercise on cognitive and brain outcomes in older adults with minor cognitive impairment.
Julian Camillo Becerra Leon, MSc Student
Under the supervision of Dr. Sophia Frangou, Julian is studying the brain, cognitive and environmental features of adolescent development that are crucial for resilience and susceptibility to mental health disorders worldwide using machine learning models.
Isabella Gallello, PhD Student
Under the supervision of Dr. Jeremy Seamans, Isabella will be producing a rodent model for hyperkatifeia, a symptom of opioid withdrawal. This research aims to provide a novel mechanistic explanation of how hyperkatifeia arises and how it drives opioid addiction while investigating the therapeutic potential of Heantos-4, a botanical compound.
General Award: Norman Cristall Research Endowment
Adam Sunavsky, PhD Student
Under the supervision of Dr. Fidel Vila-Rodriguez, Adam aims to quantify changes in overall brain health in response to rTMS treatment in patients with treatment-resistant depression using brain age, identify specific neural regions that drive the antidepressant effects of rTMS, and model treatment response.
Margot Gunning, PhD Student
Under the supervision of Dr. Judy Illes, Margot aims to help create an evidence and equity-based policy framework on Open Science and Intellectual Property by conducting research with community experts and the public.
Daemon Cline, PhD Student
Under the supervision of Dr. Mark Cembrowski, Daemon is investigating how appetite neuron pathology causes weight gain, aiming to uncover mechanisms that could rescue these neurons and prevent obesity.
John Ni, MSc Student
Under the supervision of Drs. Annie Ciernia and Sriram Subramaniam, John is investigating F-actin disruption at high resolution to determine the mechanism of Baf53b’s regulation on the development and maintenance of the neuronal actin cytoskeleton.
Christopher Lamb, MSc Student
Under the supervision of Dr. Lara Boyd, Christopher will conduct an exploratory cross-sectional study to compare the excitability of the primary somatosensory cortex and the level of cerebellar inhibition to the primary motor cortex in people with and without symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. This work will increase our understanding of pain-related sensorimotor changes in the brain, help clarify why knee osteoarthritis is inconsistently painful, and inform future therapeutic interventions.
