MIRC’s Trainee of the Month

Our January Trainee of the Month is Kate Miyasaki, an MSc candidate from the lab of Dr. Manali Mukherjee! Read our interview with her below:

Can you describe your research?  

Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease affecting ~10% of Canadians. A subset of patients with severe asthma has uncontrolled symptoms despite standard corticosteroid treatment. Many of these patients have self-attacking B cells that produce autoantibodies, which would usually be suppressed by regulatory B cells. Our research has shown that these autoantibodies can lead to further disease severity and associate with the difficult treatment.

My master’s project is immunophenotyping regulatory B cells in moderate-to-severe asthma patients’ airways and periphery, especially in patients with autoantibodies. In doing so, I hope to identify which patients have skewed effector-to-regulatory B cells and why.

What advice would you give to future scientists?

Explore a range of fields to find out what piques your interest! I’ve been a part of a few labs in MIRC that have allowed me to learn various field-related techniques. Also, talking to upper-year students is an excellent way to indirectly figure out what area of research you might like and your post-graduate plans.

 Why did you choose to do your graduate studies at MIRC?

I completed my undergraduate degree at McMaster in MIRC and really enjoyed my experience. I knew that continuing with a graduate degree in MIRC would give me great opportunities. There is a lot of collaboration between labs in MIRC that overall, benefits the advancements in immunology.

What do you like to do when you’re not in the lab? 

When I’m not in the lab, I’m directing the high-range A Capella group here at McMaster (yes just like Pitch Perfect minus 50% of the drama). You can also find me being paparazzi to my cats while simultaneously bingeing LOTR and any mainstream Netflix show.