Past trainees
High School
2017 Aaron Wen (Sir Winston Churchill High School) – basic macrophage biology and ELISA
2012 Soon-Ping Wang – Direct effect of Hymenolepis diminuta on enteric epithelia
1997 Michael Schetzler (Ruth Gales Competition Winner), Summer Student – Basic exposure to laboratory science.
Undergraduate mentorship
2020 Brian Choi (1st year Bachelor Health Science)
Undergraduates
University of Calgary
2021 Richard Peng (summer student): helminth products and bacterial growth (deferred)
2019-2020 Shuhua (Vickie) Li (CMMB thesis): IL-10 regulation of butyrate transporters
2019-2020 Alexandra Kellington (BHSc thesis): DSS, E. coli and macrophages
2019 Shuhua (Vickie) Li (summer student): colitis then Hymenolepis infection
2018 Andrea Nunez (8 month work-term): Macrophage mitochondrial dynamics
2018 Jim Youk (507 Course): regulation of human b-defensins in epithelia
2017 Sonia Martins (summer student): helminths and bacteria
2016 Emma Thomson (summer student): Hymenolepis and gut function
2015 Joey Poon (summer student): neutrophils and regulatory macrophages
2014 Nicole Mancini (summer student): epithelial metabolic stress
2014 Austin Ren (summer student): TGFb and macrophages
2012 Joshua Lee (summer student): Cytotoxic effects of DSS
2012 Jordan Iannuzzi (summer student): macrophage storage and retrieval
2011-2012 Michael Polischuk (BSc thesis): prostaglandins and macrophage phenotype
2011 Michael Polischuk (summer student): In vitro model of metabolic stress
2010-2011 Hui (Nancy) Li (BSc thesis): does Schistosoma mansoni-derived peroxiredoxin exert anti-inflammatory effects in murine models?
2010 Maria Fernando (summer student): macrophages and epithelial wound healing
2010 Hui (Nancy) Li (summer student): bioactive molecules from adult H. diminuta
2009-2010 Maria Fernando (BSc Biology thesis student): H. diminuta and colitis in mice
2009 Hui (Nancy) Li (BHSc): Regulation of mucin during metabolic stress
2008-2009 Sunny Wang (BSmt): Patent formulation for helminth products
2008-2009 Alexandra Melon (BSc thesis student): Steroid vs. H. diminuta and murine colitis
2008 Lindsay Ball (summer student): Macrophage signalling and TNF production
2008 Michael Caterino (Biology/Pharmacology Co-op Student): Assessing the mechanism of action of the alternatively activated macrophage?
2007-2008 Gwyn Davies (BHSc thesis): cholinergic nicotinic receptors and macrophages.
2007 Michael Caterino (Biology/Pharmacology Co-op Student): How does a helminth product interfere with macrophage activation?
McMaster University
2005-2006 Kim Lewis (BSc thesis): TNFα, metabolic stress and the epithelium?
2005 Dave Prescott (Biology/Pharmacology Co-op Student): Developing a murine model of DNP-induced enteropathy
2004-2005 Jackie Caldwell (BSc Hons): nitric oxide in stressed human epithelia
2004 Oren Steen (BSc): can stress activated enterocytes alter immune cell activity?
2003 Carolyn Fong (Biology/Pharmacology Co-op Summer Student): Does DSS colitis alter expression of the epithelial cholinergic M3 receptor?
2002-2003 Colin Reardon-Boyer (BSc thesis): Mechanisms to block TGFβ SMAD signalling
2001-2002 Gina Moretto (BSc thesis): prostaglandin receptors on epithelia and macrophages
2001-2002 Sara Ansari (BSc thesis): direct superantigen effects on MHC II+ cells
2000-2001 Brooke Sayer (BSc thesis): cholinergic electrolyte transport in murine colitis
2000-2001 Alisa Rachlis (BSc thesis): nitric oxide and superantigen effects on epithelia
1999-2000 James Watson (BSc thesis): modulation of epithelial STAT-1 signalling
1998-1999 Kathryn Howe (BSc thesis): bacterial superantigens directly modulate epithelia
1998-1999 Natalia Diaz-Granados (BSc thesis): rolipram modulation of murine DSS-colitis.
1998 Sean Jedrzkiewicz (Biology/Pharmacology Co-op Summer Student): Role of nitric oxide in murine superantigen-induced enteropathy.
1997-1998 Graeme Donnelly (BSc Hons): Yersinia pseudotuberculosis mitogen-evoked immune activation caused altered epithelial physiology: the role of prostaglandins
1997 Ramesh Rathi (MBBs): Peptide growth factors and regulatory effects on epithelial cells
1997 Parule Dureja (Biology/Pharmacology Co-op Summer Student): superantigen-induction of epithelial MHC II expression
1996 Graeme Donnelly (Summer Studentship): T cell regulation of epithelial function
Graduates
Ph.D.
University of Calgary
2018-2023 Sruthi Rajeev, project: Characterization of tuft cell changes in the gut of H. diminuta parasitized mice.
2015-2020 Adam Shute, (co-supervisor: A. Buret (Biological Sciences))
Thesis title: “Helminth regulation of the colonic microbiome: implications for the control of colitis”.
[Current (2021 position: PDF U. Calgary with Dr. Y. Nasser]
2014-2019 Nicole Mancini, Ph.D.
Thesis title: “Investigating the mechanism of adherent-invasive E. coli induced mitochondrial fission in the intestinal epithelium”.
[Current (2019) position: medical school University of Calgary]
2012-2017 Alpana Saxena, Ph.D.
Thesis title: “Defining the impact of metabolic stress and the loss of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing peptide 2 (NOD2) in epithelial-microbial interaction”.
2010-2016 Chelsea Matisz, Ph.D.
Thesis title: “The adoptive transfer of helminth antigen-pulsed dendritic cells as a novel therapy for colitis.” Thesis received MDGI Top Thesis Award and nominated for Gold Medal Award. (co-supervisor: K. Sharkey (Physiology & Pharmacology))
[Current (2017) position: PDF, University of Lethbridge]
2010-2015 Maria Fernando, Ph.D.
Thesis title: “Regulation of the differentiation and function of alternatively activated macrophages”
[Current (2020) position: Grants Coordinator, Bow Valley College, Calgary]
2009-2015 Gabrielle Leung, Ph.D.
Thesis title: “Development and characterization of alternatively activated macrophages in the treatment of colitis”
[Current (2016) position: PDF, University of Toronto]
2006-2012 David Prescott, Ph.D.
Thesis title: “Lipid mediators and the regulation of macrophage function and colitis.”
[Current (2019) position: Research Assistant, University of Ottawa]
2003-2007 Colin Boyer-Reardon, Ph.D.
Thesis title: “The interaction of TGFb and IFNg in the control of epithelia and regulatory T-cells”
[Current (2019) position: Assistant Professor University of California (Davis)]
McMaster University
2002-2009 Meaghan Hunter, Ph.D.
Thesis title: “Helminth therapy in a murine model of chemically-induced colitis” (2x1yr mat.)
2001-2007 Christian Hirota (nee Green), Ph.D.
Thesis title: “Cholinergically-mediated epithelial ion transport in a model of colitis”
[Current (2016) position: Programs Manager, ACHRI, Univ. Calgary]
1999-2004 Kathryn Howe, Ph.D.
Thesis title: “Modulation of intestinal epithelial function by TGFβ”
[Current (2019) position: Assistant Professor, Vascular Surgeon, Toronto General Hospital, ON]
M.Sc. (n=12 graduated, 3 in program)
University of Calgary
2020- ShuHua (Vickie) Li, project: local enteric immune reaction to H. diminuta in mice
2020- Michal Ginzbourg, project: H. diminuta modulation of enteric bacteria
2019- Samira Hamed, project: butyrate stabilizes the epithelial mitochondrial network
2017-2019 Susan Wang, M.Sc. (co-supervisor K. Sharkey (Physiology & Pharmacology))
Thesis title: “The role of serotonin in the immunoregulation by the helminth parasite Hymenolepis diminuta”
[Current position (2019); medical student McGill University]
2017-2019 Luke Goudie, M.Sc. (primary supervisor: J. Shearer (kinesiology))
Thesis title: “Investigating the consequences of DRP1 and Fis1 mediated mitochondrial fission in colitis: in pursuit of a novel therapeutic target for IBD”
2015-2018 Timothy Jayme, M.Sc. (co-supervisor P.L. Beck (Medicine))
Thesis title: “Human interleukin-4 treated macrophages and epithelial wound repair”
[Current (2020) position: medical student, Univ. Calgary]
2015-2017 Nicholas Graves, M.Sc. (co-sup. J. Gilleard (Fac. of Vet. Medicine))
Thesis title: “An extract of the tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, inhibits neutrophil migration in vitro”
[Current (2018) position: Med. Sch., Uni. Keele, England]
2014-2016 Shruti Srivastava, M.Sc. (primary sup. J. Wasmuth (Fac. Vet. Medicine))
Thesis title: “A bioinformatics analysis to identify parasite proteins that mimic host immune proteins”
[Current (2017) position: BC Cancer Res. Ctr., bioinformatician]
2012-2015 Alec Campbell, M.Sc.
Thesis title: “Assessment of the rat tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta and its antigen in the treatment of DNBS colitis”
[Current (2019) position: medical resident]
2009-2011 Elnaz Hoshivar, M.Sc.
Thesis title: “Indomethacin and the regulation of epithelial permeability: observations from an in vitro model”
2007-2009 Matt Klompus, M.Sc. (co-supervisor: K. Sharkey (Physiology & Pharmacology))
Thesis title: “Dissecting the mechanism of perturbed cholinergic control of epithelial ion transport in the DSS model of murine colitis”
[Current (2016) position: Pharmaceutical Product Rep.]
2007-2009 Kim Lewis M.Sc.
Thesis title: “Butyrate and the colonic epithelial barrier: prevention of bacterial transcytosis”
[Current (2016): MD, Hamilton, ON]
2005-2008 Jackie Caldwell, M.Sc.
Thesis title: “Assessment of the interactions of metabolically-stressed macrophages with Escherichia coli (strain HB101)”.
McMaster University
2004-2006 Robin Presaud, M.Sc.
Thesis title: “Characterization of the immune response to the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta in a mouse host with observations on the anti-colitic effect of infection”
[Current (2016) position: teacher, Ontario]
1998-2000 Peter Ceponis, M.Sc.
Thesis title: “Interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 signal transduction in the regulation of T84 transepithelial resistance”
[Current (2016) position: MD, Captain Canadian Army]
International Visiting Students
2018 Vanessa Fernandes Rodrigues (Ph.D. candidate), Title: Strongyloides venezuelensis antigen and the modulation of colitis, Universidade Fereral de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil (5 months).
2016 Berenice Faz Lopes (Ph.D. candidate), Title: regulation of myeloid immune cells by H. diminuta extract, National University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico (3 months)
2009 Valdimir Ajllahuanca Callisaya (M.Sc. candidate), Title: immune responses to helminths, La Paz, Bolivia (3 months)
2009 Femke Lutgendorff (MD, Ph.D. candidate), Title: Probiotics and the inhibition of mast cell activation, Amsterdam University, Holland (4 months)
2009 Anders Carlsson (Ph.D., candidate), Title: Developing mast cell-epithelial co-cultures, University of Linköping, Sweden (4 months)
2005 Ida Schouldz (Ph.D., candidate), Title: Yersina pseudotuberculosis and epithelial function, University of Linköping, Sweden (6 months)
2002 Maria Vicario (Ph.D., candidate), Title: Anti-inflammatory effects of green tea polyphenols, University of Barcelona, Spain (9 months)
Postdoctoral Fellows
2020- Saranya Navaneetha Krishnan (Ph.D.): STAT3 and mitochondrial networks
2022-2023 Rujuta Deshpande (Ph.D.): Effects of prednisolone on M(IL-4) macrophages
2019-2024 Blanca Callejas Pina (Ph.D.): therapeutic macrophages in cancer and beyond
2015-2017 Toshio Arai (MD, Ph.D.): consequences of early life helminth infection
[Current (2017) position: Gastroenterologist, Tokyo, Japan]
2014-2016 Ala Rajabi (Ph.D.): mitochondria remodeling in inflammation
2013-2018 Fernando Lopes (Ph.D.): metabolic stress and the modulation of colitis
[Current (2018) position): Assist, Prof., McGill Univ., Canada)]
2011-2015 Jose Luis Reyes (Ph.D.): helminth modulation of disease
[Current (2015) position: Assist. Prof., UNAM, Mexico]
2011-2013 Rabea Gräepel (Ph.D.): aspects of H. diminuta modulation of arthritis
2010-2012 Ida Schoultz (Ph.D.): metabolic stress and epithelial-microbe interaction
[Current (2016) position: Res. Assoc. Orebro Uni. Sweden]
2010-2011 Catherine McKay (Ph.D.): metabolic stress in IBD (part-time)
2009-2010 Meiqing Shi (Ph.D.): H. diminuta and arthritis
[Current (2016) position: Assist. Prof. Washington Univ.]
2008-2011 David Smyth (Ph.D.): IFNg signaling and the epithelium
2008-2009 Andrew Flynn (Ph.D.) medical student, part-time research on macrophages (primary supervisor, Dr. PL Beck)
2006-2008 Cecile Beauepaire (Ph.D.): enteric immunomodulation
2006-2008 Michael Johnston (Ph.D.): helminth modulation of gut function
2001-2005 Aisha Nazli (Ph.D.): metabolic stress and epithelial permeability
2001-2003 Mahmood Akhtar (Ph.D.): bacterial CpG DNA
[Current (2016) position: Senior Scientist, Saudi Arabia]
2000-2001 Anna Sanchez (Ph.D.): IL-6 type cytokines and colonic inflammation
[Current (2018) position: Professor, Brock University, ON]