Lab Staff
Valerie Joseph
Administrative Assistant
Dr. Shu-Hong Li
Lab Manager
Dr. Jun Wu
Lab Technician
Research Interests
Graduate Students
Minyao Wang: PhD Candidate
The novel conductive biomaterial pAMB:Gelatin has been synthesized by our lab to target myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation. This biomaterial could improve cardiac performance and overall survival in animal models as it can electrically bridge and synchronize the action potential propagation between healthy cardiomyocytes. My research focuses on the study of the underlining mechanism on the electric physics aspect of this electronic-ionic signal transmission both in vitro and ex vivo.
Email: minyao.wang@mail.utoronto.ca
Zhiqi Liang: PhD Candidate
Bone marrow (BM) niche has been shown to extrinsically modulate the function of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). As a result, their aging could impact HSC capabilities and, subsequently, the outcomes of HSC-dependent therapy. Our team has developed rejuvenating strategies by transplanting young HSCs into irradiated old mice, which yielded improved outcomes from stem cell therapies. My research focuses on investigating the mechanisms underlying age-associated reduction in HSC functioning, and aims to demonstrate if the beneficial effects of HSC transplantation could be safely restored through BM niche rejuvenation.
Email: zhiqi.liang@mail.utoronto.ca
Adrian Ronald Dychiao: MSc Candidate
Surgical patches have been synthesized with the conductive bio-polymers PAMB-G and PDA. Implantation of these patches has been shown to resynchronize electrical signaling conduction during atrial fibrillation, and restore cardiac function after myocardial infarction. However, there is a need for long-term monitoring of their size and degradability of these patches in vivo in a non-invasive manner. My research project involves the incorporation of iron oxide nanoparticles within the PAMB-G and PDA patches, enabling these patches to be observed in live animals under MRI. The goal of my project is for long-term in vivo tracking of these patches, in order to better understand the long-term effects of these new biomaterials.
Email: adrian.dychiao@mail.utoronto.ca>
Undergraduate Students
Sean Millar: Former Student
Former UHN Research Trainee and renkelilab.com website creator.
Email: sean.millar@mail.utoronto.ca