Payam Zarin - Immunology
PhD Candidate
Country of Origin: Toronto, Ontario Canada
Pre PhD Education: H.BSc University of Toronto 2008
Recent Research Experience:
- PhD Candidate, Sunnybrook Research Institute, functional development of gamma-delta T-cells
- Co-lead research, AllergenFree Solutions Inc., molecular structure and inactivation of common food allergens
- Research assistant, Sloan-Kettering Institute, role of CTLA4 in regulatory T-cell activation and suppressor function
- Research intern, Joslin Diabetes Center, Regulatory T-cells in Type 2 Diabetes
- Research intern, Boston Children’s Hospital, the role of Switch regions in antibody class switching
Current Research:
γδ T-cells are a rare subset of innate like lymphocytes that arise in several waves during fetal development. These cells possess an incredibly diverse range of function which varies depending on the tissue of residence, disease state, and overall immunological milieu. My graduate research aims to uncover the network of environmental cues that orchestrate the functional programming of γδ T-cells in vitro. Essentially, we investigate the factors that can lead to the development of different immune subtypes from the same stem progenitors.
Why Faculty of Medicine?
Faculty of Medicine was an easy choice due to the world class faculty, and the collaborative, multidisciplinary environment provided by the University of Toronto. For example, being allowed to fulfill a degree requirement in a different department than my own, allowed me to learn about technology entrepreneurship and creating products in the life sciences space. As a group of students with different backgrounds and strengths, we were then able to translate our knowledge to a start-up company housed at the Impact Centre, which is one of several fantastic incubators at the university. Outside of the work sphere, there are also many great opportunities for personal growth; aside from having a very active student association (IGSA) and a fantastic departmental publication (IMMpress), our department also supports outreach initiatives such as Beyond Sciences which encourages bilateral mentorship between Fac Med students and their colleagues at other universities around the world. In brief, Fac Med has provided me with the toolkit necessary to pursue my career goals of conducting research in an academic setting that also allows translating scientific findings into solutions that can better our society.
Future Education and/or Career Plans:
Some of the greatest discoveries in modern medicine have been serendipitous by-products of top class basic research. With this in mind, following graduation I intend to follow my passion for this type of curiosity drive research while being conscious of the fact that knowledge from academic research must be ultimately translate to directly benefit society. Finally, I believe that I owe everything I have achieved so far to the great mentors that I have had the privilege of meeting along the way, and I hope I can pay this forward by continuously mentoring and enabling younger students committed to making a positive global impact through scientific discovery.