{"id":588,"date":"2016-11-01T15:39:26","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T15:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"\/?page_id=9"},"modified":"2026-03-09T14:52:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T14:52:04","slug":"team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lab.research.sickkids.ca\/ivakine\/team\/","title":{"rendered":"Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

Team<\/h1><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

Our team facilitates our robust research<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Zhenya<\/div><\/div>
Zhenya Ivakine<\/span>Principal Investigator<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Dr. Evgueni (Zhenya) Ivakine is a scientist working to apply genome engineering tools and strategies to therapy development for genetic conditions, with a focus on childhood neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders.<\/div>
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Dong-Kyu<\/div><\/div>
Dong-Kyu Kim<\/span>Research Fellow<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Dr. Kim obtained his PhD from Korea University, joining the Ivakine Lab in 2022 to further his interests in genetics and genome editing.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Patrice<\/div><\/div>
Patrice Chan<\/span>Research Fellow<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Dr. Chan graduated from her PhD at the University of Hong Kong. Her project in the Ivakine Lab aims to characterize a MECP2 Duplication Syndrome mouse model and to develop a single-gRNA CRISPR Cas9 strategy for duplication removal based on this disease model.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Sneh<\/div><\/div>
Sneh Lata<\/span>Research Fellow<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Dr. Lata completed her PhD at the University of Delhi, India. She is currently working as postdoctoral research fellow in the Ivakine Lab, generating an iPSC model cell line for Niemann-Pick Type C disease mutations which will be used for the screening of potential therapeutics.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Toan<\/div><\/div>
Toan Nguyen<\/span>Research Fellow<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Dr. Nguyen received his PhD from Nanyang Technology University of Singapore. His broad research interests include molecular and genome biology, structural biology, and lipid metabolism. In the Ivakine Lab, Dr.Nguyen uses CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to understand the biological variants of the NPC1 protein and exploring it at the molecular and genetic level.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Stephen<\/div><\/div>
Stephen Pastore <\/span>Research Fellow<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Dr. Pastore completed his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto. His project in the Ivakine Lab aims to elucidate the mechanisms of altered microtubule dynamics in a cell model of Joubert syndrome. In addition, he also hopes to develop a CRISPR-mediated gene therapy to selectively degrade deleterious alleles in the microtubule protein TUBB.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Daniel<\/div><\/div>
Daniel Rappaport<\/span>Technologist<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Daniel completed his undergraduate studies at Concordia University, with a specialization in Biology. He completed his graduate studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, with an M.Sc. in Molecular Science. Currently, Daniel is working with CRISPR-Cas9 saturation prime editing to introduce identified mutations present in the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene, modelling different variants of the disease ataxia telangiectasia (AT), and then describing the pathogenesis for each variant.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Hong<\/div><\/div>
Hong Anh Truong<\/span>Technologist<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Dr. Truong received her PhD in Biophysics from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She is currently working as a technologist in the Ivakine Lab and is responsible for supervising mice colonies and advising mice procedures. <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Sydney<\/div><\/div>
Sydney Steiman <\/span>Ph.D student <\/span><\/div><\/div>
Sydney completed her Honours B. Sc. at the University of Waterloo in Biology and Philosophy. She completed her M. Sc. studying protein interactions at York University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto where she is working on linking tubulin proteins to ciliopathy diseases.<\/div>
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Lujaina<\/div><\/div>
Lujaina Elbakr<\/span>M.Sc. Candidate<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Lujaina completed a Specialized Honours Biomedical Sciences degree at York University for her undergraduate studies. She is currently pursuing a Masters in the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto where she is working on characterizing a novel infantile Tay Sachs disease mouse model and interrogating CRISPR-mediated therapeutic strategies for TSD.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Enzhe<\/div><\/div>
Enzhe Khazeeva<\/span>Technologist<\/span><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Georgiana<\/div><\/div>
Georgiana Forguson<\/span>Technologist<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Georgiana completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, and completed her M.Sc. studying nematode neurobiology at McGill, where she focused on in vivo imaging. Apart from managing the lab, Georgiana works on mouse line characterization. <\/div>
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Eva<\/div><\/div>
Eva Colic <\/span>PhD Student <\/span><\/div><\/div>
Eva obtained her Bachelor of Science in Honours Biochemistry at the University of Waterloo. Under the co-supervison of Dr. Zhenya Ivakine and Dr. Ronald Cohn, Eva is developing CRISPR-Cas9 based technologies to investigate the pathogenicity of variants within the gene Ataxia\u2013telangiectasia Mutated (ATM). <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Elizaveta<\/div><\/div>
Elizaveta Saitova <\/span>M.Sc. Student <\/span><\/div><\/div>
Elizaveta obtained her Honours B.Sc. degree at the University of Toronto, specializing in Molecular Genetics. Currently, she is pursuing a Master\u2019s degree at the Ivakine lab, \u00a0developing strategies for modelling and correcting duplication disorders.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Caifan Tang <\/span>PhD Student <\/span><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Sophie Liu <\/span>Research Fellow <\/span><\/div><\/div>
Dr. Liu received her PhD degree from the Cornell University. Prior to that, she completed her BASc at the University of Toronto. She is working as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Ivakine lab, with a focus on drug delivery approaches and gene editing applications.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Cadence Brown <\/span>Co-op student <\/span><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
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<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Past lab members:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Ori Scott <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
PhD Student <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Swadha Tewari <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
M.Sc. Student <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Shagana Visuvanathan<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Animal technologist <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Cedric Happi-Mbakam<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Research Fellow <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Mehmet Cilek <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Research Fellow <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Katherine Matthew<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Summer Student (2023)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Jana Abu-Alhaija<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Summer Student (2023)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Connie Fierro <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Summer Student (2023)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Nishtha Patel <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Research Student (2023)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Safia Mohammad<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Summer Student (2024)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Daphne Yang<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Summer Student (2024)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Krystal Grover<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Summer Student (2024)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Emily Huynh<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Summer Student (2024)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Natalie Kozman <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Research Student (2024)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Stephanie Ortega <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Research Student (2024)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Ash Mowbray<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Amgen Scholar (2024)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Emily Davis <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Summer Student (2024)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Ashley Dong <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Research Student (2024)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Yousef Jan <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Summer Student (2024)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Lilac Juaneza<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Research Student (2024)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Joshua Hung <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
MSc Student<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Maya Klepfish <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Co-op Student (2024)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Emily Bell <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Co-op Student (2024)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Anoop Kumar <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Visiting Scientist (2024-2025)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Asvenya Kokulakumaran<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Co-op Student (2025)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Ciara Kinsella <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Co-op Student (2025)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Heyden Lam <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
MSc Student <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Safia Omer <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
Research Fellow <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Reid Brewer<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
MSc Student, Technologist <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Mair\u00e9ad McEwen <\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
MSc Student<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div><\/div>

Find us<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>

Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning
\n686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Contact us<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"100-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-588","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nTeam - Ivakine Lab<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lab.research.sickkids.ca\/ivakine\/team\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Team\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/lab.research.sickkids.ca\/ivakine\/team\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ivakine Lab\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-09T14:52:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lab.research.sickkids.ca\/ivakine\/team\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lab.research.sickkids.ca\/ivakine\/team\/\",\"name\":\"Team - 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