Life in the Lab | Department of Medicine | School of Medicine

If you have a passion for studying how the gut microbiota, intestinal immune system, and enteric nervous system interact to promote health or disease, you should consider joining the Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit (GIDRU). Our multi-disciplinary team of basic science and clinician researchers offers opportunities for collaboration and co-supervision within GIDRU and with other departments, making it possible to explore the many fascinating facets of GI research. Whether you’re a 4th-year honour student curious to discover if GI research is something you’d like to pursue or a postdoctoral fellow wanting to refine your gastroenterology expertise, you’ll find a welcoming community at GIDRU. With so many trainees, you can expect to find support among your peers and mentorship from more senior trainees. Furthermore, you will learn about everyone’s research projects, hone your presentation skills, and receive invaluable feedback from faculty and trainees at our weekly research-in-progress meetings.

Interested in learning more about training at GIDRU? We invite you to hear firsthand from our trainees!

Hannah Wood—PhD candidate (Lomax, Reed, & Sheth Labs)

My life as a Ph.D. graduate student in Dr. Alan Lomax’s lab (co-supervised by Dr. David Reed and Dr. Prameet Sheth) is a testing yet exciting and eye-opening experience. My work focuses on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and whether mediators released by gut bacteria and host cells are involved in IBD pathophysiology, specifically abdominal pain. Besides typical wet lab techniques, the primary method I have used for my research is afferent nerve recordings. The colon of a mouse, along with the underlying mesentery and musculature, is dissected. Using a salt and sugar solution and gas perfusion to keep the colonic tissue and vasculature alive, we can then perfuse human fecal supernatant through the murine colon to investigate whether mediators in the stool samples can change the nerves' activity. My research project excites me as I know it will impact patient health one day. One of the many things I appreciate about working in GIDRU is that there is no expectation to work 9-5 but rather to get the work done. Some days, I work 10 hours conducting assays and recordings, while others are shorter with analysis and literary readings. I value this flexibility and trust, so I do not feel micromanaged. Research is never predictable. Some assays will fail, and some recordings will be unsuccessful. Hours and days might be spent working on a method to collect data but have yet to be successful. Although, these failures and frustrations make the successes and triumphs even more rewarding. One of the best features of GIDRU is the community dynamic. Besides perseverance, most obstacles are overcome thanks to discussion and suggestions from my peers and supervisors. A plethora of support is available; you have to ask for it. Currently, I don't know where I will go after I graduate. I am considering doing a post-doctoral position, finding a researcher position outside of academia, or doing more schooling. The options are endless. Regardless of my decision, it gives me comfort knowing that my time in GIDRU has set me up for success. I have gained valuable presentation communication skills, improved my writing, and made amazing friends and connections.

Chinmay Potdar—MSc Candidate (Mulder Lab)

My life as a Master of Science Graduate Student in Dr. Mulder’s lab in GIDRU was an interesting and fun experience. My work looked at the concept of using a machine learning and statistical approach to investigate IBD diagnosis at a systemic level and to be able to use this as a novel method of foundation building for future inquiries. As part of Dr. Mulder’s lab, I was glad to learn about various new lab techniques as well as basic coding and machine learning. Throughout my research, there were many times my experiments did not go according to plan, which was quite frustrating at times. During times like these, I consulted my supervisor and tried to explore alternative solutions, such as changing experiment protocols and redoing experiments. Life as a research student in the lab has its ups and downs, but it is all part of the experience. There is a variety in the types of days I had as an MSc student in the lab. Some days were long doing experiments; others were shorter doing literature searches and data analyses. Everyone I met in GIDRU during my time there was friendly and receptive to new incoming research students. The seminars held in the GIDRU conference room, such as RIPS and the annual Research Day events, allowed me to learn about the intriguing research of my fellow students and professors while also allowing me to explain my research to them. Presenting my research during these seminars was nerve-racking but exciting as well. Altogether, I enjoyed having the opportunity to be a part of GIDRU as an MSc research student as I learned new skills, expanded my network, made new friends, and gained valuable scientific knowledge.

Katya Douchant—PhD ’23 Graduate (Sheth Lab)

My life as a Ph.D. graduate student in Dr. Sheth’s lab was exciting, challenging and extremely fulfilling. In my Ph.D. I developed a new way to treat C.difficile infection. C.difficile is a common enteric pathogen in both humans and animals and leads to severe diarrhea, inflammation and even death by releasing toxins that kill healthy cells. Although antibiotics are the current first-line treatment, they are associated with a high rate of disease recurrence and treatment failure. Therefore, new and novel treatment modalities are urgently needed. In my graduate program, I isolated and characterized a bacterial protein that is released by commensal bacteria in the gut and found that it is able to degrade C.difficile toxins. I then used a combination of in vitro wet lab techniques and an in vivo animal model to prove its ability to prevent disease. We are excited about the significant impact of these findings and are hopeful that they will help to address the high burden of C.difficile infection. Although these findings excite me, the road to getting here was challenging. In grad school, resiliency is extremely important because there will always be setbacks. However, embracing these setbacks, mentally rebounding, and adjusting will lead to the most enriching learning experiences. It is hard to describe what day-to-day looks like because every day is different and much less structured than undergrad. I went through times of being in the lab daily for several hours (even on weekends), but I have also had the freedom to take time off when needed and spend time working from home doing data analysis or writing proposals, applications, manuscripts, etc.. your productivity really depends on you! In grad school, you are responsible for your own success, and that can be intimidating, but ultimately, I appreciated the flexibility once I got to know myself and what I needed to put in to achieve my goals. I thoroughly enjoyed working in GIDRU, especially due to the collaborative nature of the group. In GIDRU, I had opportunities to present my research to fellow students and faculty, receive feedback from individuals of diverse backgrounds and have countless life chats with students as we crossed paths in the hallways. Grad school is meant to be challenging and to push you out of your comfort zone – but when you are in the right environment, you might even find it enjoyable

Quentin Tsang—PhD Candidate (Reed & Vanner Labs)

As a Ph.D. student in the labs of Drs. David Reed and Stephen Vanner, my research interest lies in visceral pain signalling in the gut. I am fortunate to have been trained to use multiple research techniques to answer my research questions, such as measuring electromyographic activity from the mouse abdomen as a measure of pain and directly recording nerve activity from afferent nerves that directly innervate the colon and small intestine. As a student, I am never limited in the experiments that I want to perform, and I have the support of my supervisors every step of the way. GIDRU is a highly collaborative environment; regardless of your primary supervisor, you will be able to work with principal investigators, fellows, and students from all labs. Trainees are supported throughout their education and training at GIDRU and beyond once their studies come to an end. Many of our trainees have been set up for success and moved on to positions as clinician-scientists, faculty members and industry.

Samantha Ables—MSc ’23 Graduate (Lomax & Reed Labs)

As an MSc student supervised by Dr. Alan Lomax and Dr. David Reed, I investigated how dietary fermentable carbohydrates affect the gut microbiota and symptoms such as abdominal pain in irritable bowel syndrome patients. Like most students in GIDRU, I learned several techniques during my time in the lab, ranging from patch clamp and calcium imaging with mouse sensory neurons to performing ovariectomy surgeries on mice. I also had the incredible opportunity to lead a clinical study with irritable bowel syndrome patients while the research coordinator was on parental leave for a year. I had a lot of variety in my day-to-day activities: Monday, I might do surgeries on mice, Tuesdays I had most of my virtual meetings with participants in the clinical study, Wednesday and Thursday I would spend in the wet lab collecting data from calcium imaging experiments, and Friday I would largely spend doing data analysis, writing grant applications or conference abstracts, and reading research papers. Grad school is what you make of it – if you seek out and accept opportunities, you can easily become involved in research projects and other activities you wouldn’t do on your own. GIDRU is an excellent lab for providing these chances, as there are many trainees and supervisors. This allows students to collaborate together and conduct different types of research, using new methods and investigating different research questions beyond their initial project. The supervisors in GIDRU are incredibly supportive of students suggesting project or collaboration ideas, creating a side-project, and preparing for the future – whether that’s continuing into a Ph.D., a professional program, industry, or anything you’d like. My time in GIDRU has prepared me very well for my future, from understanding how preclinical research is conducted to developing my critical thinking and writing skills to communicating effectively with patients.

Conrad Pietrzak—4th-year Honours Student (Kaufmann Lab)

My life as an Undergraduate project student in Dr. Eva Kaufmann’s lab has been an impactful experience. GIRDU is where I first encountered a true research environment. My work investigates the influence of genetics on the reprogramming of hematopoietic stem cells. With the training and mentorship of Dr. Kaufmann and other lab members, I’ve learned lab techniques such as working with sterile cell cultures and mice models while also developing skills like properly organizing experiments and time management. Even as an undergrad, research can be demanding at times. It took many long days to learn certain techniques, such as flow cytometry for immunophenotyping and how to effectively research/synthesize niche scholarly information. Such experiences taught me the importance of supporting one another within the lab setting. Dr. Kaufmann and my fellow research students in GIDRU have always been willing to help by offering guidance and advice. My experience as a GIDRU research student will always remain significant to me, it has helped me develop practical skills, sparked new friendships, and fostered my interest in laboratory-based research.