Laboratory Personnel

Annika Dixon Summer Student with Dr. Levin

Annika grew up in Regina and completed her first year of studies at the University of Regina as a pre-med student. She has since transferred to the University of Saskatchewan in order to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences. She is specifically interested in Neuroscience and hopes to apply to the College of Medicine upon completion of her degree. She was first introduced to MS in high school, as a former teacher of hers had MS and often talked openly about living with this neurodegenerative disease. Her interest in MS research has only peaked since looking into the prevalence of MS within Saskatchewan. Outside of school, you will probably find Annika watching a Toronto Raptors game (she even has a tattoo dedicated to the Raptors), playing with her kitten Herbert, or reading a new book.

Ansalna Ansari MSc MSc Candidate with Dr. Levin

Ansalna, hailing from the southernmost part of India, Kerala, finished her schooling in her village and moved to North India for her higher education. Her childhood obsession with DNA and its intricate role in complex diseases such as cancer, heart diseases and autoimmune disorders led, in due course, to a thorough interest in research in the field of genetics and autoimmune disorders and motivated her to opt for a career in biomedical science. She graduated as a first rank holder in the Integrated Master's Degree in Life Science from the National Institute of Technology Rourkela, India, in June 2020. During her Master's degree, she accomplished three short term research projects, including an international research fellowship - MITACS Globalink Research Internship Program 2019, in Dr. Franco Vizeacoumar's lab at the University of Saskatchewan. This experience motivated her to pursue higher studies in the field of biomedical science in Canada. She began a thesis-based Master's degree in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Levin in 2021. Her current project focuses on establishing the mechanistic link between dysfunctional RNA binding protein and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis. Ansalna has been awarded the MITACS Globalink Graduate fellowship and a Devolved Scholarship from the department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology. Outside the lab, she enjoys travelling, exploring new cultures and cuisine, making friends, dancing and binge watching!

Ashley James PhD Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Popescu

Bhadrapriya Sivakumar MSc PhD Candidate with Dr. Krishnan

Bhadrapriya was born in a small town in Kerala, the southernmost region of India. Her family later migrated to Bangalore, a city in India. As a child, she was always interested in biology and hence completed a triple major Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology from CHRIST University, Bangalore in 2020. During her Bachelor’s, she attended a seminar at the Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore where her interest in neurosciences peaked. She got accepted into CHRIST University, India for a Master’s in Biotechnology in 2020. Under the guidance of Dr. Suma, she published 2 book chapters and a review paper during the pandemic. She received a meritorious scholarship for her grades during her Master’s. She then completed her Master’s thesis at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, India in neurosciences and secured a distinction in her final exams. She joined as a Ph.D. student at Dr. Krishnan’s lab, CMSNRC in October 2022. Outside of the lab, she is a dancer and loves reading, hiking, binge-watching TV shows, and café-hopping.

Cole Libner PhD Summer Medical Student with Dr. Levin

Catherine Hutchinson MSc Research Executive Assistant to Dr. Levin

Catherine grew up on a farm near Assiniboia in southern Saskatchewan, spending most of her time outdoors where she developed a love of nature. In high school, her favourite subject was biology—especially molecular biology—so after high school she decided to attend university and study biochemistry. Upon completion of her BSc at the University of Saskatchewan, she pursued graduate studies at the Saskatoon Cancer Centre where she studied potential treatments for chronic myelogenous leukemia. After completing her MSc, she worked as a research technician in several laboratories and assisted with research projects spanning an array of disciplines, from infectious disease and immunology to neuroscience. In 2018, Catherine joined the lab of Dr. Michael Levin at the Cameco MS Neuroscience Research Centre where she assisted with research designed to help uncover the underlying mechanisms of neurodegeneration in MS. In 2021, Catherine was promoted to an administrative position within the Office of the Saskatchewan MS Clinical Research Chair as the Research Executive Assistant to Dr. Michael Levin. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, hiking, yoga and travelling.

Connor Denomy MSc Research Technician with Dr. Levin

Connor is a bioinformatician from right here in Saskatoon. He completed a bachelor’s degree with honours in biochemistry from the University in Saskatchewan in 2019. During the course of his undergraduate degree, he began learning computer programming and, as part of his undergraduate honours project, created software for the parsing of manually annotated karyotypes into copy number variation data. This work led to a first-author article in Cancer Research. Following this, Connor committed to pursuing bioinformatics with a master’s degree in computer science supervised by Drs. Scott Napper and Anthony Kusalik; his thesis on the analysis of data from global kinase-mediated cell signalling experiments was successfully defended in 2022. For the year 2023, Connor used his bioinformatics expertise to research cancer with Dr. Franco Vizeacoumar, focusing on next-generation sequencing data analysis and machine learning. Connor is also an avid powerlifter, a trivia expert, and a musician, playing saxophone, piano, and accordion with the Footnotes Jazz Collective, the Saskatoon Concert Band, and the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra, among other groups.

Fariba Karami MSc MSc Candidate with Dr. Levin

Hannah Salapa PhD Professional Research Associate with Dr. Levin

Hannah was born in Pennsylvania where she completed her Bachelor of Science in psychobiology at Lebanon Valley College. During her undergraduate career, Hannah performed research in biochemistry and neural addiction labs, the latter of which sparked an interest in neuroscience research leading her to apply to neuroscience PhD programs. Upon being accepted to the University of Tennessee, Hannah rotated through several neurodegenerative disease research labs before having the opportunity to work with Dr. Michael Levin. She quickly took an interest in MS research and started her PhD thesis research in March 2015 in the Levin Lab. After a move to Saskatoon mid-degree, she completed her PhD in June 2019 with the support of the Dr. Walter and Mary Hader MS Research Scholarship at the University of Saskatchewan. Her thesis research on dysfunctional RNA binding proteins in MS and its models culminated in being awarded the John N. Whitaker Award for Best Overall Research at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of MS Centers. Hannah now works as a Research Associate in the lab and whole-heartedly enjoys designing research projects and mentoring students. Outside of the lab, she likes staying active, cooking, traveling, and the beautiful Saskatchewan summers.

Hya El-Baroudy BSc MSc Candidate with Dr. Krishnan

Jenna Reding Summer Student with Dr. Levin

Joseph-Patrick Clarke PhD Research Assistant with Dr. Levin

Joseph grew up in Trinity East, Newfoundland before attending Memorial University of Newfoundland. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and then furthered his education with a Master of Science degree in Biotechnology from the Mannheim University of Applied Sciences in Mannheim, Germany. During his graduate studies, he discovered his passion for research in the biomedical sciences, especially in Neuroscience. To further develop his skills and understanding of Neuroscience, Joseph rejoined Memorial University as a Ph.D. graduate student. During these studies, a close family member tragically passed away from a neurodegenerative disease and this life event further strengthened his resolve in researching and understanding neurodegenerative diseases. Joseph graduated from Memorial University with a Ph.D. in Medicine in the Spring of 2016, where his dissertation work focused on examining and understanding the cellular stress pathways of the heat shock response and autophagy in peripheral neuropathies, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Joseph then joined the Donnelly Lab at the University of Pittsburgh in 2016, and within his first year, was generously awarded an AFTD Postdoctoral Fellowship through The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD). His work there entailed understanding the molecular basis of pathogenesis in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) focusing specifically on stress granule function and biology. In the summer of 2019, Joseph then joined the Levin Lab at the University of Saskatchewan as a Postdoctoral Fellow, where his current work focuses on understanding MS pathogenesis through the role of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 dysfunction. Gratifying aspects of the Levin Lab include: the ability to utilize innovative, cutting-edge technology and techniques to further understand fundamental biological processes, working and collaborating with an incredible group of scientists, aiding in the mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Saskatchewan.

Kaitland Fior Summer Student with Dr. Levin

Kaitland grew up on an acreage just outside Saskatoon, SK. She is currently an undergraduate student completing a Bachelor of Science at the University of Saskatchewan. Her interest in science and medicine began with a fascination of neurodegenerative diseases, with MS research being of particular interest given its high rates in Saskatchewan. In the summer of 2022, Kaitland had the opportunity to join the Levin lab after receiving funding for a biomedical summer research project through the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine. Outside of school, she enjoys cooking new recipes, visiting local restaurants and coffee shops, playing in the USask Wind Orchestra and exploring the beautiful trails around Saskatoon.

Lara New BSc Research Technician with Dr. Krishnan

Maia Naylor Honour's Project Student with Dr. Krishnan

Miles Magno BSc MSc Candidate with Dr. Verge

Miranda Messmer BSc PhD Candidate with Dr. Levin

Nataliya Tokarska MSc PhD Candidate with Dr. Verge

Nataliya was born in Ukraine and immigrated with her parents at a young age to Ontario, Canada. Just prior to high school, her family made a second big move across the country to Saskatoon. After being taught by an encouraging science teacher in high school, Nataliya developed an interest in biomedical science. In 2018, she graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Physiology and Pharmacology. Because of her fascination with neuroscience, she also received a minor in Psychology at that time. With the hope of continuing her studies in the field of neuroscience, Nataliya joined the Verge lab shortly after graduation. In 2020, she received her Master of Science degree in Anatomy and Cell Biology. Nataliya is now a PhD student in the Verge lab continuing her Master’s work to further investigate the effects of a novel non-invasive treatment called acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH) in a mouse model of MS. In her free time, she loves camping, winter sports, baking and working on music projects with her siblings!

Nathan Aubynn Summer Student with Dr. Levin

Nathaniel was born and raised in Ghana, in the western part of Africa. In 2018, He relocated to Ukraine to begin his medical school education, aspiring to build a career dedicated to advancing healthcare. His education, however, faced an unexpected interruption in 2022, during his fifth and penultimate year, due to the outbreak of war. This unforeseen event necessitated a relocation to Germany, where Nathaniel stayed until August of the same year. In September 2022, seeking stability and an opportunity to continue his academic pursuits, Nathaniel moved to Canada. There, he enrolled in a biomedical science program, aiming to bridge his knowledge to eventually enter medical school. Nathaniel’s academic ambitions were further bolstered by the opportunity to join Dr. Levin’s lab for the summer, where he is involved in groundbreaking research on neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis. This position enhances his understanding and skills in a crucial area of medical research. Outside of his academic and professional life, Nathaniel enjoys a range of activities that balance his rigorous study schedule. He is an avid fan of movies and books, and he enjoys playing games. Nathaniel is also active in sports, including swimming and playing tennis or badminton. He cherishes tranquil environments, finding peace and happiness in quiet and serene settings. A quote he lives by is "Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny." - C.S. Lewis

Nickson Joseph MSc PhD Candidate with Dr. Krishnan

Nickson grew up in Kannur – a town popularly known as ‘The Land of Looms and Lore’, in the northern part of Kerala, India. He completed his Bachelor’s in Zoology from Sree Narayana College and his Master’s in Zoology from St. Berchmans College; both in Kerala. He is an avid reader of scientific non-fiction books and a relentless follower of crazy ideas in science. That’s how he developed a passion for neuroscience. He joined CMSNRC as a Ph.D. student in the Krishnan lab in May 2023 where he works on breast cancer nerve-tumor interface and its effects on brain metastatic recurrence of breast cancer. Brain metastatic recurrence of breast cancer is a late event and is fatal. He is trying to understand the nerve-tumor interface to explore the prognostic and therapeutic potential of the nerve-dependence of breast cancer to fight the deadly brain metastasis. Apart from academics, he is an admirer of Haruki Murakami’s works and loves reading novels. He is a proponent of scientific temper, and he loves beaches and biryani.

Patricia Thibault PhD Research Assistant with Dr. Levin

Born and raised in Saskatoon, SK, Patricia found she was a “science person” relatively early on, but got hooked on molecular biology itself during her undergraduate NSERC summer scholarships at the University of Saskatchewan. She went on to get her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at the U of S with Dr. Joyce Wilson, studying the molecular biology of Hepatitis C virus. There, she started with an NSERC Master’s scholarship, followed by a PhD scholarship from the CanHepC research network. On the side, she gave tours to people of all ages and educations at the Canadian Light Source, Canada’s only synchrotron. Patricia furthered her virus adventures in the lab of Dr. Benhur Lee at Mount Sinai in New York City for her CIHR-funded postdoctoral fellowship, studying “all things Paramyxovirus” – a family of viruses that includes the all-too-familiar measles and mumps viruses, as well as their more lethal cousins, Nipah and Hendra viruses. Through all of Patricia's research training, she was fascinated by the intricate details of how our cells run, and all the mechanisms our cells employ to keep things from going off the rails. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is highly prevalent here in Saskatchewan and is a quintessential example of intricate and complex processes that have derailed. When she returned to Saskatoon, Patricia saw the opportunity to turn her expertise to the biology of this disease and joined the Levin Lab at the CMSNRC. Currently, she is examining how a protein found in neurons goes awry during progressive stages of MS. In addition, since virus infection is considered a likely trigger for MS onset, she is also exploring how viruses are involved in MS.

Prerna Jaswal Volunteer with Dr. Krishnan

Priyanshi Desai BSc MSc Candidate with Dr. Krishnan

Hailing from Ahmedabad, India, Priyanshi's journey began at Nirma University, where her fascination with Pharmacology ignited. Deeply touched by the plight of breast cancer patients and their families, as well as the lack of treatment options available, she aims at dedicating herself to understanding and mitigating cancer metastasis. Under the guidance of Dr. Anand Krishnan, her research on Tumor Nerve Innervation in Breast Cancer and its potential as a prognostic indicator promises new insights into this devastating disease. Seamlessly merging her pharmaceutical sciences background with training from the University of Southern California in Clinical Pharmacy, Therapeutics, Pharmacy Practice, and Drug Design, she aims in pioneering new frontiers in combating breast cancer metastasis while pursuing neuroscience. Priyanshi's commitment extends beyond research; she served as an intern at Apollo Hospitals, specializing in Medication Management and Process Adherence within the hospital environment. As she continues her pursuit in the study of breast cancer metastasis, she wants to stand as a beacon of hope, embodying the spirit of perseverance and compassion in the quest for a cancer-free future.