2024 Insights Grant Awardees

Elikanah Olusayo Adegoke, PhD
Postdoctoral Scientist, Translational Geroproteomics Unit

Nathan Basisty, PhD
Investigator and Chief of Translational Geroproteomics Unit

National Institute on Aging

Uncovering the signals from senescent cells that drives cancer in vivo

We will aim to use Seer’s Proteograph platform to perform proteomic analyses of tissues and serum from a mouse model to uncover the paracrine mechanisms by which senescent cells drive tumorigenesis and cancer.

Dr. Elikanah Olusayo Adegoke is a visiting fellow at the National Institute on Aging. He is currently working with Dr. Nathan Basisty in the Translational Geroproteomics Unit (TGU) to identify pathologies driving reproductive and organismal aging. He received his PhD at Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China, and worked as a postdoctoral researcher and research professor at Chung Ang University, South Korea. He has received several awards, including Chinese Scholarship Council Award and Brain Pool Fellowship Award by the Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea.

Dr. Nathan Basisty is a tenure-track investigator and NIH Distinguished Scholar at the National Institute on Aging. His laboratory, the TGU, leverages proteomic approaches, particularly mass spectrometry-based, to accelerate the translation of geroscience. He has spent his academic career at the intersection of proteomics and aging. He received his PhD at the University of Washington and did his postdoctoral work at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. His awards include two Aging Cell Best Paper Prizes in 2014 and 2017, the Joseph A. Pignolo, Sr. Award in Aging Research 2016, and the prestigious K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award in 2020. He was recently recognized as Rising Star in Proteomics and Metabolomics (Journal of Proteome Research).

Phyllis Billia, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Clinician-Scientist

Anthony Gramolini, PhD
Professor

Uros Kuzmanov, PhD
Research Fellow

Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research

Cardiac tissue and plasma proteomics to identify biomarkers predicting right ventricular failure

We aim to utilize Seer’s nanoparticle technology for an in-depth proteomic analysis of matched patient cardiac tissue explants and plasma in an unbiased manner.

Dr. Phyllis Billia Billia is a distinguished clinician-scientist with a focus on heart failure and cardiac regeneration. She holds several prominent positions at the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, including senior scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and medical director of the Mechanical Circulatory Support Program. Additionally, she is the co-director of the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre Cardiovascular Biobank and the director of research at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. She has 130+ publications in national and international medical and basic research peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Anthony Gramolini is a full professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on the cellular mechanisms involved in the regulation of calcium cycling within the sarcoplasmic reticulum and its role in cardiac diseases. His work integrates advanced proteomic and phosphoproteomic techniques to identify potential therapeutic targets for heart failure. Dr. Gramolini holds a Canada Research Chair in Cardiovascular Proteomics and Molecular Therapeutics and has received several awards, including the Early Career Excellence Award and the Canada Research Chair. His lab employs a variety of methods, including cell and tissue culture, confocal imaging, mass spectrometry, and gene expression analysis, to investigate cardiac function and disease. He has authored over 100 research articles.

Dr. Uros Kuzmanov is known for his work in the field of proteomics, particularly focusing on the molecular mechanisms underlying heart diseases through the examination of protein and post-translational modification dynamics in a variety of clinical samples and model systems, using advanced mass spectrometry techniques. He is an author on 30+ research articles.

Richard Fahlman, PhD
Professor

University of Alberta

Investigating the dark side of multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders

We will aim to use the Proteograph platform to develop a novel pipeline for biomarker screening of entirely unfiltered raw mass spectrometry data using AI algorithms as an alternative to identify serological markers for MS.

Dr. Richard Fahlman is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Alberta with prior postdoctoral work at Northwestern University, the University of Colorado, and the University of British Columbia. Research interests include the fundamental mechanisms regulating biological proteostasis, which includes both protein synthesis and protein degradation. Beyond understanding these fundamental processes, the team has an interest in how proteostasis is impacted in diseases and how perturbations can lead to novel diagnostics and novel therapies. In addition to over 80 scientific publications, Dr. Fahlman has been a founder of three different start-up companies, including a company beginning to commercialize a biomarker discovery into a clinical diagnostic.

Now the team has focused their efforts into the discovery of novel biomarkers to assist in the diagnosis of neurological disorders which have a history of changes for diagnosis by clinicians.

Project funded in part by Alberta Innovates AICE-Concepts.

Jennifer Korchak
PhD Student

University of Virginia

LinkedIn

Leveraging Seer technology for genome-informed discovery of IPF-associated isoforms in serum

By combining Seer’s technology and TWAS-driven protein isoform prediction, we aim to uncover novel alternatively spliced protein biomarkers of IPF. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of using unbiased functional genomics assays (TWAS, sQTLs) to identify and target disease-relevant protein isoforms in serum. By elucidating the molecular underpinnings of IPF associated with genetics, we can begin to unravel the etiology of this complex disease.

Jennifer received her Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Chemistry in Spring of 2019 from the University of North Florida. While an undergraduate, she used biochemistry, molecular biology, and analytical chemistry techniques to investigate clinically relevant bacterial natural products. Following graduation, Jennifer worked at the Mayo Clinic in Florida in the Center for Regenerative Medicine as a research technologist from 2019 to 2022. While there, she conducted translational research, manufactured clinical-grade cell products, and developed new regenerative therapeutics. In Fall of 2022, she joined the Biomedical Sciences PhD Program at the University of Virginia, where she is currently in her third year. In 2023, she was appointed to the NIH Cardiovascular Research Training Grant and in 2024 she was awarded the UVA Wagner Fellowship. Her work using mass spectrometry to investigate the protein-level effects of splicing changes colocalized with cardiovascular disease earned her recognition as a semi-finalist for a Trainee Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Research by the American Society for Human Genetics in 2023. As of now, Jennifer has co-authored seven peer-reviewed journal articles, including three first author publications. Her current work focuses on using mass spectrometry approaches to elucidate and characterize how genetic variants associated with changes in splicing influence protein isoforms in complex diseases.

Xiang Shu, PhD, MS, MS
Assistant Attending

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

LinkedIn

Integrative multiomics study for new circulating biomarkers of gastric cancer in African Americans

Through this first-of-its-kind multiomics study in gastric cancer, particularly in an understudied population (i.e., African Americans), we aim to use the Proteograph platform to identify novel non-invasive biomarker candidates for validation in future larger studies, provide new insights into the disease etiology, and help address the gaps of racial disparity in GC incidence and mortality.

Dr. Xiang Shu joined the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as an assistant attending epidemiologist in 2020. He received a doctoral degree in Epidemiology from University of Texas Health Science Center and completed postdoctoral training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Shu’s research primarily focuses on identifying novel genetic and molecular markers for cancer risk, with the goal of better understanding tumorigenesis and providing new tools for risk assessment. Dr. Shu has received multiple NCI awards supporting his research on gastrointestinal cancer, including R37 (CA267823, pending), R56 (CA283041), and K99/R00 (CA230205). He is an active investigator in three large prospective cohorts, the Shanghai Women’s Health Study (SWHS), the Shanghai Men’s Health Study (SMHS), and the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS), leading several prospective metabolomics and proteomics projects to uncover novel risk biomarkers for colorectal, pancreatic, and gastric cancer in underrepresented and understudied populations.

Jaroslav (Jerry) Zak, DPhil, PhD
Staff Scientist

The Scripps Research Institute

LinkedIn

Discovering markers of response to combined JAK and PD1 inhibition in Hodgkin lymphoma

We will aim to use the Proteograph platform to measure serum proteins in Hodgkin lymphoma patients from the NCT03681561 trial at baseline, 8 days after ruxolitinib and 1 month of JAKi/aPD1 therapy.

Dr. Jerry Zak is a cancer immunologist interested in developing novel immunotherapies and understanding the mechanisms of treatment resistance. Following undergraduate studies at the University of Cambridge, he obtained a DPhil from the University of Oxford for his work on the ASPP family of proteins in human disease under the supervision of Prof. Xin Lu, FRS. Dr. Zak then pursued postdoctoral training in immunology with Prof. John Teijaro at The Scripps Research Institute where his work focused on enhancing the immune response to cancer and viral infections. His recent work published in Science identified a novel immunotherapy drug combination that was effective in patients who did not respond to previous checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy. Dr. Zak is a recipient of multiple awards including the Lincoln College Oxford Senior Scholarship, Skaggs-Oxford Scholarship, Cancer Research Institute/Irvington postdoctoral fellowship and the AACR/AbbVie Scholar-in-Training Award.