Lab Members

Sabine Gilch, PhD, PI

Sabine is a Professor and UCalgary Research Excellence Chair at UCVM and a member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Snyder Institute. She has received a PhD at the Technical University of Munich in Prion Biology, followed by postdoctoral studies at the University of Wyoming. Sabine and her team investigate the impact of prions on cellular pathways to gain insights into prion disease pathogenesis and identify much needed therapeutic targets. Another major focus are studies to mitigate the spread of CWD in cervids, aiming to uncover strain diversity, genetic resistance and cross-species transmission. Outside of the lab, Sabine enjoys hiking, swimming, singing in a choir, petting her cat and losing table soccer matches against her kids. 

Su Shim, MSc

Researcher/ Lab Manager

Kathyana Deeyagahage, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

Kathyana is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Gilch Lab. She earned her PhD in Veterinary Microbiology from the University of Saskatchewan in 2024, followed by a postdoctoral year dedicated to the discovery, optimization, and mechanistic study of antimicrobial peptides. In June 2025, she joined the Gilch Lab, where her current project focuses on engineering peptide aptamers to enhance their efficacy against neurodegenerative diseases. Kathyana enjoys painting in her free time.

Anja Itum, MSc

Research Assistant

Irina Zemlyankina, PhD Candidate

Irina completed a B.Sc. Hons in Biochemistry at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, where she did research on the relationship between phase-separating proteins and neurodegeneration linked to aging and disease. In Gilch lab, her research is focused on the response that different brain environments have to prions and their effect on disease development and progression. Outside the lab, she spends a lot of her time hiking, skiing, and climbing the Rockies, or playing video games and Dungeons & Dragons with her friends.

Jessica Cashion, PhD Candidate

Jessica completed her BSc in Honors Biochemistry from the University of Alberta, where she received a Biomedical Research Certificate working in Dr. Holger Wille’s lab. She joined Dr. Gilch's lab in the Fall of 2021 as a graduate student in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Her project focuses on cholesterol metabolism and its possible role in alleviating prion disease. In her spare time, she enjoys Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, cop TV shows, and reading.

Gokhan Yilmaz, PhD student

Gokhan received his BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Ottawa, and started in the Gilch lab as a masters student. His project is on the cellular pathways that are affected in prion infection. In his spare time, he likes playing board games, video games, and sports.

Melissa Razcon Echeagaray, PhD student

Melissa earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2022 from the University of Sonora in Mexico. She worked in a small and exotic animal clinic for over a year, gaining hands-on experience with dogs, cats, tortoises, birds, and other animals. In 2023, she moved to Canada to pursue research and is currently studying CWD isolates from Canadian moose to investigate their strain properties and potential transmission to caribou. In her free time, Melissa enjoys playing video games and watching movies.

Kristen Gregg, MSc. student

Kristen received her BSc in Chemistry from Montana State University in 2022. She then worked at the NIH for 2 years studying yeast prions under Dr. Reed Wickner. Her current project is focused on a mechanism of genetic resistance of CWD and looking at the evolution of CWD strains. In her free time, Kristen loves to spend time hiking, camping, and climbing as well as playing in the Calgary Civic Symphony.

Aiman Mirza, MSc. student