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…

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,”…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

We are excited to announce that Zuha, a former research student at the DaCosta Lab, has been accepted to the University of Calgary Medical School! Zuha joined the lab in 2019 while completing her undergraduate degree in Human Biology at the University of Toronto. Zuha demonstrated an ability to quickly learn and apply learned techniques…

We are very excited to welcome our students back to the lab this summer! Mayowa Akusebo initially joined the lab during the summer of 2022 and she returns this summer in order to gain additional learning experiences as well as continue to contribute to the team.  Mayowa completed her first year of undergrad in Health…

We are excited to welcome a new graduate student, Sadaf Mazhab Jafari, to our team! Sadaf completed a double major in Molecular Biology, Immunology and Disease, and Biochemistry at the University of Toronto and graduated with an impressive GPA.  Sadaf has extensive research experience and has logged over 1000 hours of laboratory benchtop work.  She has…

We are very excited to welcome a new member, Xi Lei, to the team as a Research Technician III! Xi earned a M.Sc in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Saskatchewan. She worked as a research assistant, then technician, and quickly moved up to senior technologist at St. Michael’s Hospital. Xi brings with…