Members

Lauren Altomare

B.A.Sc. Candidate

Lauren is in the Engineering Science program with a specialization in Biomedical Systems Engineering at the University of Toronto. With passions ranging from medicine to molecular engineering and immunology, she is interested in designing and developing treatments to support global communities. Lauren is a recipient of the 2024 NSERC USRA scholarship awarded by the Department of Immunology. Outside of the lab, Lauren enjoys being outdoors— running, riding and writing poetry.

Zoe Augspach

B.Sc. Candidate

Zoe is planning on pursuing a Specialist in Chemistry and a minor in Statistics. She is a recipient of the ISSRP awards through the Trinity One program and is excited to be joining the OFK lab and working with LNPs for RNA delivery. Zoe loves collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to solve real-world problems. In her free time, she enjoys playing board games, drawing and watching musicals.

Desmond Bradshaw

B.Sc. Candidate

Desmond is currently pursuing his BSc in Physiology, Immunology, and Global Health. He is the recipient of a Trinity One Research Award, enabling him to work with the OFK lab in their continued optimization of therapeutic RNA delivery using lipid nanoparticles. Desmond is particularly interested in the translation of this technology for use in resource-scarce communities globally. Outside of the lab, he enjoys being in nature — preferably near a lake.

Julien Couture-Senécal

Alumni – Ph.D. Candidate

Julien obtained a B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science at the University of Toronto where he completed his senior thesis on immunomodulatory biomaterials. For his Ph.D., he developed nanomaterials to deliver mRNA as vaccines. Julien defined the connection between inflammation, ionizable lipid degradation kinetics and efficient CD8+ T cell responses. In his free time, Julien likes to ride his bike around the city and learn new tunes on the guitar. In recognition of his groundbreaking work, Julien won the 2025 EPIC Future Leaders Prize.

Daniella Cruz

B.Sc. Candidate

Daniella is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Immunology and Physiology at the University of Toronto. Her research interests include inflammation and therapeutic development, with a focus on vaccines and gene therapies utilizing lipid nanoparticles. She is currently assisting in a project aimed at improving LNP degradability for safer, more efficient delivery. In her free time, she enjoys teaching crochet, trying new foods, and taking too many photos of her sheepadoodle.

Wanda Janaeska

Alumni – B.A.Sc. Candidate

Wanda is currently pursuing a B.A.Sc. in engineering science with a specialization in biomedical systems engineering. Her research interest lies at the intersection of nanotechnology and medicine for efficient and effective therapeutic designs. She loves skating, hiking, and has recently picked up film photography as a hobby. Wanda was the recipient of a 2022 NSERC USRA scholarship.

Meng Qi Jiang

Alumni – B.Sc. Candidate

Meng Qi earned a double major in Pharmacology and Health & Disease at the University of Toronto. Meng Qi is interested in designing and developing therapeutic solutions to target diseases and their clinical application to benefit patients. Meng Qi is particularly interested in nucleic acid-based nanotechnology’s therapeutic potential in different pathological contexts. Meng Qi enjoys playing the piano, running, cooking, and hip hop dance.

Avery Kemble

Alumni – B.HSc. Candidate

Avery is pursuing a B.HSc (Honours) in Biochemistry at McMaster University. She is interested in the intersection of synthetic chemistry and biology, and enjoys that the chemistry she performs has therapeutic applications. She is a dancer and a skier and loves the Toronto Maple Leafs. Avery was the recipient of a 2023 Medicine by Design Summer Research Studentship.

Karlene Knaggs

Ph.D. Candidate

Karlene completed her undergraduate in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Waterloo. She then decided to switch it up and pursue an MEng at the University of Toronto, where she found a new interest in biomaterials. Now she can blend the two worlds of BME and synthetic chemistry! Outside the lab, Karlene enjoys volunteering at Ontario Reptile Rescue and taking care of her blue tongue skink Giuseppe.

Anson Lau

Ph.D. Candidate

Anson specialized in Neuroscience for his undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto and completed his thesis under the supervision of Professor Derek van der Kooy. He is interested in utilizing nanotechnology to create a novel therapeutic system that delivers nucleic acids in various pathological settings such as cancer. In his spare time, he enjoys biking and exploring the city as well as snowboarding. For his work, Anson won the 2023 Rising Star Minister’s Award of Excellence from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

Fabiha Mahbub

Alumni – B.Sc. Candidate

Fabiha is pursuing a Bachelor of Medical Sciences with an Honours Specialization in Physiology and Pharmacology at Western University. She is interested in nanomedicine and the development of nanotechnology to tackle biomedical challenges. In her spare time, she enjoys playing the guitar, acrylic painting, and biking. Fabiha was the recipient of a 2023 Medicine by Design Summer Research Scholarship.

Paige McFarlane

Alumni – B.A.Sc. Candidate

Paige earned a B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science with a specialization in Biomedical Systems Engineering. Paige’s 4th year thesis in the OFK Lab won the 2025 Centennial Thesis Award for top thesis. Her academic interest is around biomaterials and regenerative medicine and how it can be applied in the furthering of healthcare innovation to be more accessible. Paige’s current research is to elucidate the structure-function relationship between ionizable lipid molecular structure and endosomal escape. Outside of academics, she enjoys crocheting, dancing, and listening to music.

Jagriti Natraj

B.A.Sc. Candidate

Jagriti is currently pursuing a B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science with a specialization in Biomedical Systems Engineering. Her research interest is in the therapeutic potential of nucleic acid nanomedicine. She enjoys playing basketball, running, dancing and music. Jagriti was the recipient of the 2023 ESROP scholarship.

Alanna Manning

Alumni – M.A.Sc.

Alanna is from a small town just outside of the GTA. She is a very active person who enjoys most sports and outdoor activities. Alanna attended Alabama State University for her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering and researched natural polymer adhesives. She was also a member of the women’s soccer team. For her M.A.Sc. research at the University of Toronto, she developed RNA nanoparticles for repeated systemic administration and her seminal publication in the journal Small won a Wiley publisher Top Viewed Article Award in 2025. Her current work involves the commercial development of RNA delivery platforms.

Ana-Maria Oproescu

Ph.D. Candidate

Ana-Maria (Mia) began her journey in biomedical research at The University of British Columbia, completing her B.Sc. in Integrated Science with a focus on molecular genetics and neuroscience. As an undergraduate student, she spent four years working at the UBC-affiliated spinal cord injury research centre, ICORD, as a researcher, scientific blog editor and volunteer coordinator. Her love of molecular neuroscience research brought her to the University of Toronto, where she completed her M.Sc. on cortical neurogenesis as an NSERC-funded student under the supervision of Professor Carol Schuurmans. Now in her Ph.D., Mia looks forward to developing organic nanoparticles for a range of therapeutic use cases. Outside of her research, she is passionate about improving accessibility to education, being in nature, and drawing landscapes and portraits.

Janice Pang

Ph.D. Candidate

Since becoming involved with biomedical research at an early age, Janice Pang was intrigued about disease pathogenesis and developing novel therapeutics. At the University of British Columbia, she studied in the Integrated Sciences undergraduate program, focusing on molecular biology and immunology. Her undergraduate thesis investigated immunometabolism in macrophages. Her other projects included glucose metabolism in microvascular endothelial cells, inflammation and microRNA biomarker discovery in type 2 diabetes. As an undergraduate co-op and Mitacs Scholar at Amgen, she helped to develop a novel technology to aid in therapeutic antibody discovery. In her Ph.D., she looks forward to exploring the possibility of developing novel RNA-based therapeutics and helping establish a nucleic acid tech hub in Toronto.

Kai Sun

Ph.D. Candidate

Kai received his B.Sc (Honours) in Chemical Biology from McMaster University where he completed his senior thesis developing polymer thin films for the oral delivery of lipid nanoparticles. Kai’s experience in academia and industry has shaped his research interests in the fields of synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and drug delivery. Currently, Kai is utilizing nanomaterials to create a delivery system for diagnostic technologies. In his free time, Kai likes to play volleyball, go on a hike, play a good board game with friends, and drawing.

Grayson Tilstra

Ph.D. Candidate

Grayson hails from the sunny Okanagan Valley and completed his B.Sc. (Honours) in Chemistry at the University of Victoria before moving to Toronto. Grayson’s research interests include biomaterial development, formulations, and synthetic chemistry. Outside of the lab, he enjoys cooking, hiking, and spending far too much time thinking about baseball.

Brianna Walz

Ph.D. Candidate

Brianna completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto focusing on immunology and physiology. Her current research focus is to build and deploy nucleic acid nanotechnology for applied immunology applications. Brianna comes from a small town in Northern Ontario where she spent most her life. In her spare time she enjoys exploring the city, cooking and watching sports.

Titobioluwa Wuraola

Alumni – B.Sc.

Titobi finished a double major in Pharmacology and Cellular Biology in addition to a Computer Science minor. His work interests lie at the intersection of technology and biology; specifically, how bioengineering can advance the world of medicine. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball and chess as well as watching anime. Titobi was the recipient of a 2022 Medicine by Design Summer Student Scholarship.