Dr. Hong Han
Assistant Professor & Principal Investigator
Hong received her B.Sc. Honours degree at the University of British Columbia. She then completed her Ph.D. in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto with Dr. Benjamin Blencowe and Dr. Jason Moffat. Immediately after her Ph.D. in 2016, Hong was honoured as the first recipient of the prestigious Donnelly Home Research Fellow Fund at the University of Toronto, which allowed her to become a semi-independent investigator to develop projects and supervise a research team. In 2022, Hong was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) and a Principal Investigator at the Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research (CDCR) at McMaster University.
Staff
Dr. Fuad Chowdhury, Research Specialist
Fuad received his BSc Honours degree from the University of Toronto. He then completed the MD program at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and is currently training in the Medical Genetics & Genomics residency program at the Cumming School of Medicine in Calgary, Alberta. After completing his undergraduate degree, Fuad began working with Dr. Han on validating splice events targeted by the novel neural splicing regulator, PUF60, recently identified on a neural SPAR-Seq screen. Having cultivated an interest in applying genomics technology to discover therapies for human genetic disease, Fuad became involved in designing and curating disease-relevant splice events to enable high-throughput screening. Fuad will further conduct and support cancer single-cell profiling and functional genomics research at the Han Lab.
Alberto Torrez (MSc), Lab Technician
Alberto received his BSc degree at the University of Western Ontario. He then completed his MSc at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in collaboration with UWO investigating protein-protein interactions with histone deacetylase BdHD1. In 2020, Alberto joined Canopy Growth Corporation as the Genomics Technician on the Plant Performance Team. To support the goals of the genomics team, he worked with cannabis at the DNA level to try to enhance our understanding of the cannabis genome. Alberto is passionate about bringing his expertise in molecular techniques and genomics to aid in the high-throughput discovery and characterization of gene regulatory networks in cancer in the Han Lab.
Students
Solsa Cariba, PhD candidate
Solsa received his BSc Honours degree from the University of Toronto Mississauga and obtained his MSc at the University of Guelph in the lab of Dr. Payne. He studied the role of nerves in regulating the mammalian healing process before joining the Han lab, where he hopes to deepen his knowledge of the human brain and its diseases. In his free time, Solsa is an avid fan of board games, movies, and exploring the outdoors with his dogs. His love of Molecular Biology and passion for diseases of the Central Nervous System led him to Dr. Han’s lab, where he aims to apply the powerful new array of high-throughput tools and techniques to better understand the diseased brain and the mechanisms which govern these states. He continues his research in the hopes of developing patient-focused therapies for difficult-to-treat conditions, such as glioblastoma and stroke.
Cole Nickason, MSc candidate
Cole received his BSc degree at McMaster University in the Chemical Biology (Honours) program and completed a thesis project in the Hoare lab focused on methods of tissue engineering and regeneration. In his free time, Cole enjoys nature walks and delving into paleontology and zoology. He is fascinated by many areas of biology, in particular cancer evolution, genomics, and gene regulation. In 2023, Cole entered McMaster’s Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences program as a Master’s student. Work being done in the Han Lab inspired Cole to study alternative splicing and its coordination with other gene regulatory layers in the context of cancer. Specifically, he aims to use high-throughput profiling and screening approaches to elucidate the driving forces behind cancer progression and treatment resistance.
Kabir Siraj, Undergraduate Student
Kabir is a third-year student in the Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization program at McMaster University. His current research interests include enzyme biophysics, brain cancer, and bioinformatics. As such, his experience has been with the Epand lab at McMaster University where he focused on analyzing the activity and structure of an enzyme with strong links to brain cancer immune evasion. In his free time, Kabir is a fan of many sports, including soccer, swimming, and running. He also enjoys reading, watching shows, and learning the intricacies of running a business. Kabir aims to further pursue his research interests in brain cancer, genetics, and biochemistry which led him toward Dr. Han’s research program. The lab’s novel computational methods for analyzing single-cell data as well as integrated high-throughput profiling and screening techniques are all aspects that Kabir is excited to learn more about and apply to his future research at the Han Lab.
Vanshika Khaitan, Undergraduate Student
Vanshika is a third-year student in the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) program at McMaster University. She is passionate about brain health, aging, immunology, and artistic expression. As a brain health advocate, her past research with the New Brunswick Brain Health Initiative focused on identifying barriers and enablers for older adults when accessing brain health programs. Her contributions included developing a cross-sectional survey, conducting focus groups, and converting collected data to translational knowledge for the public. In Vanshika’s free time, she works as a professional children’s book illustrator and is currently working on her second book, “You Belong Always.” Vanshika aims to continue pursuing her artistic and scientific passions for many years. Her growing interest in brain health and immunology led her to discover Dr. Han’s incredible cancer and genetic research work. She is excited to get involved with novel profiling, screening techniques, and cancer research at The Han Lab.