Welcome new cancer research technician III!

813 1030 DaCosta Lab

We would like to welcome a new research technician to our lab:

Michael Edson, MSc., Research Technician III

The DaCosta lab is thrilled to have Michael Edson join us in 2022. Michael is an experienced and talented researcher who will help to manage all wet lab operations and preclinical projects. 

Michael earned a MSc in Pathobiology from the University of Guelph for his thesis topic on the evaluation of plasma microRNAs in canine osteosarcoma patients.  He has 7 years of experience in research, developing his skills in wet-lab techniques such as PCR, aseptic cell culture, western blotting, light and confocal microscopy, and immunofluorescence.  He has worked with mouse models and was responsible for colony management, weaning, genotyping, subcutaneous tumor implantation, intraperitoneal and tail vein injection, oral gavage, cardiac puncture, and dissection.  He joins us after working as a Laboratory Technician II in the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Health, for 2 years where his research project involved understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the etiopathogenesis of pregnancy-related disorders.  He was responsible for examining the lipidomics profile of placental-derived exosomes from patients with pregnancy-related disorders.  He successfully cultured cells harvested from human placental and performed treatment studies on choriocarcinoma, endothelial, and mesenchymal cell lines.   

In our lab, Michael will be an integral part of the expansion of research collaborations involving cancer imaging as the DaCosta lab broadens its cancer research program in the next few years. Michael will also help to develop new optical imaging techniques using our pioneering in vivo intravital imaging platforms to increase our ability to study tumor biology and the effects of emerging treatments e.g. immune therapies on tumor response and influence on the tumor microenvironment and metastatic process.  

Pilot data demonstrating in vivo quantitative tracking of 32DKit-CXCR4-GFP cells (green) and vasculature (red) in bone marrow (BM) and quantitative tracking of labeled CD3 T cell (blue) behavior in the mouse BM during AML progression for up to 24 days (Mice not treated by NIR-PIT).  a) Two mice injected with 32DKit-CXCR4-GFP-Luc cells. Intravital imaging shows AML progression and vascular remodeling in femoral BM over 24 days, confirmed quantitatively in b). c) Ex vivo flow cytometry of BM aspirates validate in vivo imaging results. d) Ex vivo H&E staining (top row) shows densely packed AML cells in BM and strong GFP expression using immunostaining for GFP (bottom row).  Note however, lack of GFP fluorescence in BM at days 17 and 24 in in vivo images of a), but presence of GFP identified by ex vivo tissue IF staining suggests significant AML disease in BM at d17-24 but possibly lack of oxygen to facilitate GFP fluorescence emission. e) Quantitative intravital imaging enables tracking of CD3 T immune cells (blue) at days 4, 7, 10, 17 and 24 in BM in vivo in response to AML disease progression in BM, while simultaneously tracking f, g) AML cells (green) and vasculature (red). g) Other immune cell populations (macrophages, dendritic cells, NK cells) were quantitatively measured in BM in vivo.  Scale bars: 50 mm.

We are very excited to have Michael join the DaCosta lab and look forward to his contribution to helping us conquer cancer in our lifetime!