We would like to congratulate Helen Jin on her acceptance into the University of Western Ontario MD Program, knowing she was also accepted to several other prestigious MD programs across Canada. Helen joined the DaCosta Lab in 2019 to pursue her MSc in the Department of Medical Biophysics, UofT and will be graduating in June 2021. During her time as a devoted member of our team, Helen has spearheaded projects and successful peer-reviewed grants (CIHR, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Cancer Research Society) examining leukemia cell biology and potential immunotherapeutic options using a novel murine femur window chamber model to image leukemia cells within the “living” mouse bone marrow. Helen helped to create and refine this important mouse model that will help to unravel the biological mechanisms of leukemia engraftment into the bone marrow as well as test emerging treatments. This work, in collaboration with Drs. Mark Minden, Chris Paige and Li Zhang, has also helped to inform on-going clinical trials in acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) which shows how preclinical imaging research can help bridge the clinic and the lab !
We thank Helen for her incredible research and involvement in the lab and wish her success in her future medical career!