News

We are thrilled to recognize our graduate student, Sadaf Jafari, for her outstanding achievements in both cancer research and undergraduate education. She was recently awarded the Dr. J.R. Cunningham Graduate Fellowship in Cancer Research (Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto), a prestigious recognition named in honor of one of Canada’s most distinguished medical physicists. Dr. John (Jack) Cunningham spent his career at the Ontario Cancer Institute at Princess Margaret Hospital, where he pioneered advancements in radiation dosimetry and computerized dose calculations—contributions that have shaped modern cancer treatment worldwide. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005 and…

We are proud to share that Dr. Niavarani (Postdoctoral Fellow) presented her research at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2025, held in Chicago, Illinois. This premier global event convenes leading cancer researchers, clinicians, and advocates to share the latest discoveries across the spectrum of cancer science. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Lillian L. Siu (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre) and Dr. Matthew G. Vander Heiden (MIT Koch Institute), under the theme “Unifying Cancer Science and Medicine: A Continuum of Innovation for Impact.” Her poster, titled: Deciphering the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology and chemotherapy resistance in acute…

Dr. Ralph DaCosta is featured in the Meet PMResearch story series, which features Princess Margaret researchers and aims to showcase “the research of world-class scientists, as well as their passions and interests in career and life—from hobbies and avocations to career trajectories and life philosophies.” In this story, Dr. DaCosta discusses his work towards transforming the invisible world of cancer into vivid, real-time visuals, revealing how tumors behave and respond to treatment at the cellular level. His team’s groundbreaking imaging platform uncovered dynamic, hypoxic pockets within pancreatic tumors – regions starved of oxygen and surrounded by dense collagen that hinder…

Congratulations to Lyndsey de Guzman for her successful defense of her Master’s thesis on August 28, 2025! Her thesis, titled, “Understanding the Relationship between Bone Marrow Hypoxia and the Cell Cycle of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Using Intravital Fluorescence Microscopy,” describes her investigation into the interactions between bone marrow hypoxia and cell cycle in vivo, using a femur window chamber (FWC) coupled with intravital fluorescence microscopy for longitudinal AML imaging in the same mice. We are proud to recognize Lyndsey’s outstanding contributions to our lab and to the broader field of leukemia research. Her dedication, intellectual curiosity, and collaborative spirit have…

Sadaf Jafari presented a poster titled, “Capturing the Live Interactions Between T Cells and AML in the Bone Marrow Microenvironment Using Intravital Imaging” at the Medical Biophysics University of Toronto Symposium on May 1st, 2025. The MBP Symposium is an annual research and networking conference at which graduate students present their research to colleagues and scientists within the MBP community. It offers the students an invaluable opportunity to showcase their dedication to their research project, their hard work, and their scientific knowledge. The students also have the opportunity to learn about their colleagues’ research projects, to participate in engaging round-table…

Samridhi and Maryam were invited to present a poster at the University of Toronto Undergraduate Research Students’ Association (URSA) Multidisciplinary Cancer Research Conference that took place on February 1, 2025 at the Bahen Centre for Information Technology. Their poster was titled, “Utilizing Fluorescence Intravital Imaging to Investigate Bone Marrow Microenvironment Remodeling in Acute Myeloid Leukemia,” which presented the results from their investigation of bone marrow remodeling during AML progression, affecting different cell populations and leading to relapse of the disease in mice. The conference featured Dr. Lincoln Stein and Dr. Helen Dimaras, who delivered keynote talks, alongside oral and poster…

We are pleased to announce a new publication, “Investigating the Effects of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy on Pancreatic Tumor Hypoxia and Microvasculature in an Orthotopic Mouse Model using Intravital Fluorescence Microscopy,” in Scientific Reports (December 2024). Authors: Timothy Samuel, Sara Rapic, Patricia Lindsay, Ralph S. Dacosta ABSTRACT Background and Aims: Despite decades of improvements in cytotoxic therapy, the current standard of care for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) provides, on average, only a few months of survival benefit. Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), a technique that accurately delivers high doses of radiation to tumors in fewer fractions, has emerged as…

We are very excited to welcome Dr. Raheleh Niavarani as a new Postdoctoral Fellow into our lab! Raheleh completed her MSc and PhD in Immunology at the Université de Sherbrooke, QC, Canada. She worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Ludwig Institute at the University of Oxford (Oxford, United Kingdom) and then worked as a Research Scientist in Dr. Tak Mak’s lab at UHN. As part of Dr. Tak’s lab, Raheleh focused on an ambitious and challenging research project investigating the immunology of multiple myeloma. Raheleh brings with her an expertise in immunology and is applying her extensive knowledge and…

We are pleased to share that our grant submission to the Cancer Research Society 2024 Operating Grant Competition titled, “AML Dynamics in the Bone Marrow: Probing Treatment Impact Using Intravital Imaging,” has been awarded funding. The Cancer Research Society is a pan-Canadian not-for-profit organization that funds research on all types of cancer to help prevent, detect, and treat the disease. It supports “innovative projects involving creativity and original ideas, because it is through research that the solutions to cancer will be discovered.” Our project, “AML Dynamics in the Bone Marrow: Probing Treatment Impact Using Intravital Imaging,” has the potential to…

We are pleased to announce a new publication, “Glucagon-like-protein-2 stimulates lacteal contractility and enhances chylomicron transport in the presence of an intact enteric nervous system,” in Gastro Hep Advances (June 2024). Authors: Majid Mufaqam Syed-Abdul, Lili Tian, Timothy Samuel, Alex Wong, Young-Kwon Hong, Ralph S. Dacosta, Gary F. Lewis ABSTRACT Background and Aims: Secretion and transport of intestinal chylomicrons (CM) via lymphatics to the blood circulation is stimulated primarily by fat ingestion, whereas several other factors have also been shown to play important roles in regulating CM secretion rate. Amongst these factors, active regulation of lymphatic pumping has not been…