Jenny Lou, Medical Biophysics
MSc Candidate
Student Name: Jenny Lou
Country of Origin: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Pre-MSc Education: University of Alberta, BSc Honours Neuroscience
Recent Research Experience: During my undergrad, I spent three summers conducting research in the Human Neurophysiology Laboratory at the University of Alberta, under the supervision of Dr. Dave Collins. There, I investigated how parameters of neuromuscular electrical stimulation can be optimized for rehabilitation of people with stroke or spinal cord injury. I also spent one summer at Dr. Ji Zhang’s Pain Immunology Laboratory at McGill University, determining if the membrane attack complex is involved in neuropathic pain. Throughout my undergraduate research experiences, I am fortunate to have had phenomenal mentors, who have inspired me to pursue research.
Current research: In January 2016, I joined Dr. Gang Zheng’s lab, which focuses on the development of nanoparticles for tumor targeted drug delivery, photodynamic therapy and imaging. I am investigating the use of one type of nanoparticle, the porphysome, for the enhancement of adoptive cell therapy for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and lung cancer. To this aim, I collaborate with Dr. Li Zhang and Dr. Kazuhiro Yasufuku’s groups.
Why Faculty of Medicine? The Faculty of Medicine at UofT is home to leading scientists in various disciplines, including cancer, immunology, and nanomedicine. The many opportunities to collaborate with these experts is unparalleled and for me, this has led to immense learning opportunities.
Future Education Plans and/or Career Goals: In the short term, I am hoping to reclassify into the PhD program in Medical Biophysics. In the long term, I want to pursue academic research and run my own laboratory.