Lab Members
Dr. Hermann M. Schaetzl (MD/PhD)
My experience covers human and animal health, as a tenured professor at faculties of human medicine (Germany), agriculture (USA), and veterinary medicine (Canada). My work over 30 years studied infectious diseases, including HIV, hepatitis viruses, SARS-CoV and prions. Over the past 25 years, my work focused on the cellular and molecular biology of prion diseases. My laboratory has consistently produced high-quality outcomes in the field of prion disease biology and used this for devising new anti-prion strategies. Trained by S.B. Prusiner (Nobel Prize 1997), I have established my own laboratory at the University of Munich, Germany, in 1995. From 2002 to 2010, I was Head of the Clinical Virology Unit at the Technical University of Munich. In 2010, I was appointed Wyoming Endowed Excellence Chair in Prion Biology, and in 2013, I joined the University of Calgary and set up the Calgary Prion Research Unit. I have trained >130 students, postdoctoral fellows and researchers in my laboratory, more than 10 of them having now faculty positions. I have published >140 research articles, >35 reviews and book chapters and 3 textbooks (Molecular Virology) and acquired >$30,000,000 of external funding for my lab. My laboratory pioneered active immunization against prion diseases, characterized the impact of autophagy in prion infection, and contributed various new cell models for studying prion and prion-like propagation. I participate in grant review activities worldwide, was co-host of the international conference Prion2019 in Edmonton, Canada, and will be co-host of Prion2027 in Calgary. I co-organized 2 virtual workshops on One Health & chronic wasting disease (CWD), attracting >230 participants from Canada, USA, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Italy and Spain. I lead the Calgary Prion Research Unit and I am Associate Dean Research of my faculty since 2017. I was recently guest editor (with S. Gilch) of the Special Issue “New developments in prion disease research” in ‘Cell & Tissue Research’, with 25 contributions covering new developments.
Current Members
Research Associate
Dr. Dalia Abdelaziz (She/Her)
Dr. Dalia Abdelaziz joined Dr. Schaetzl’s lab as a postdoctoral fellow in November 2014. She holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Ohio State University (2011) and is currently a Research Associate leading efforts to develop an active vaccine against Chronic Wasting Disease. With over 20 years of research experience spanning molecular biology, immunology, and translational research, Dr. Abdelaziz has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals on prion diseases, autophagy, and inflammasome regulation. She also serves as a reviewer for 13 scientific journals. Dr. Abdelaziz enjoys reading and cooking (especially Mediterranean food) outside of the lab.
Research Associate
Dr. Basant Abdulrahman (She/Her)
Dr. Basant Abdulrahman is a research associate with more than twenty years of experience in the field of autophagy and cellular homeostasis. Currently Dr. Abdulrahman is leading the autophagy team by co-supervising master's and PhD students. Her projects investigate drug-induced stimulation of autophagic flux producing anti-prion effects and physiological autophagy in prion propagation of different cell types. Besides lab work she enjoy reading and going to the gym.
Postdoctoral Associate
Dr. Chimoné Dalton (She/Her)
Chimoné completed her bachelor’s degree in health sciences majoring in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Calgary in 2014. She then completed her Doctoral degree in 2019 with a research focus on molecular epidemiology of wildlife viruses in caribou, muskoxen, and marten. Chimoné gained 3 years of industry experience at a biotech startup in project management and the development of whole cell and cell-free biosensor kits for environmental contaminant monitoring. She has returned to the University of Calgary as a postdoc with the Calgary Prion Research Unit since 2023, working on vaccines against Chronic wasting disease. Beyond research Chimoné enjoys spending time outdoors with her family by hiking, fishing, exploring, and embracing new adventures.
Postdoctoral Associate
Dr. Kylee Drever (She/Her)
Kylee is a postdoctoral associate investigating zoonotic potential of CWD. Using transgenic mouse models, organotypic brain slices, and most recently, brain organoids, she studies the establishment and progression of varying prion diseases and strains. Beyond lab work, Kylee enjoys jiu jitsu, reading, baking, and spending time with her dog.
Research Assistant
Yo-Ching (Ginny) Cheng (She/Her)
Ginny holds an MSc in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine. Her research focuses on chronic wasting disease (CWD) prions, including their shedding and detection in fecal materials. Following graduation, Ginny rejoined the Calgary Prion Research Unit as a research assistant, where her work focuses on CWD transmission in macaques and its zoonotic potential to humans. Ginny also specializes in recombinant protein expression and purification, as well as animal research, with extensive hands-on experience in both in vivo and in vitro methodologies. When she is not in the lab, Ginny competes in the CPA/IFBB as an amateur bodybuilder.
Research/Lab Manager
Su Shim (She/Her)
Su received her BSc and MSc in Plant Pathology from Seoul National University in Korea. After moving to Calgary, she completed the Master of Biomedical Technology (MBT) program and later earned an MSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Calgary. She joined the Gilch Lab as a research assistant in 2013 and became a research/lab manager in 2016. She is currently the lab manager for three prion labs: Gilch’s Lab, Schaetzl’s Lab, and Hannaoui’s Lab. In her free time, she enjoys baking, sewing, hiking, camping, volunteering at her Korean Church, and spending time with her daughters.
Graduate Students
MSc Neurosciences
Byron Kruger (He/Him)
After completing his BSc in Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary, Byron joined the Schaetzl Lab as a graduate student in neurosciences with prospects to transition to PhD. Byron's research focuses on evaluating and validating prion protein vaccination against chronic wasting disease by analyzing T-cell response in animals. Outside of the lab, he enjoys baking, cooking, and making art.
MSc Neurosciences
Kevin Low (He/Him)
Kevin completed his B.Sc. Honours in Biochemistry at the University of British Columbia and joined the Schaetzl Lab as a graduate student in Neuroscience. His research focuses on evaluating the efficacy of recombinant prion protein vaccines in mitigating the horizontal transmission of chronic wasting disease using a gene-edited mouse model. Outside the lab, he enjoys crocheting and knitting.
MSc Neurosciences
Matteo Mosca (He/Him)
Matteo is a master’s student in the neuroscience program. Before joining the Schaetzl lab, he attended Mount Royal University, graduating in 2024 with a degree in biology. Matteo enjoys science and is interested in pursuing a career in research with ambitions of becoming a professor. Matteo’s project investigates the relationship between two proteostatic mechanisms – autophagy and heat shock proteins – in both uninfected and prion-infected models. Additionally, this project examines the role of heat shock proteins in prion infection. Outside the lab, Matteo loves playing soccer and spending time with family and friends.
Former DVM, Co-op, and Summer Students
- Cheng Ching ( May ) Ho, Co-op - B.Sc. Microbiology & Immunology (UBC)
- Ningzhi (Tony ) Gu, BSc (Hons) Neuroscience
- Justine Maybee, DVM student
- Naomi Adele Robak, DVM student
- Jenna Brandon , DVM Student
- Alexandru Girlea, BSc (Hons)- Neuroscience
- Nicholas ( Nick) Kloostra, Co-op - B.Sc. Biochemistry (UBC)
- Alexandru Girlea, BSc (Hons)- Neuroscience
- Lauren Vankuppeveld, DVM student
- Hayley Cox and Tamia Duchesneau with Dr. Dalia H, Abdelaziz (KIRKNESS SCHOLARS)
Rohit Chandra , Co-op - B.Sc. Biology (UBC)
Charu Sankaran, Co-op - B.Sc. (UBC)
Seth Colby, DVM student, UofC
Lochlan Breckenridge, B.Sc. (UBC)
Sergio Sharif, Summer Studentship - B.Sc. (UofC)
Byron Kruger, Summer Studentship - B.Sc. (U of C)
Kevin Low, Co-op - B.Sc. Biochemistry (UBC)
Theonine Tang, Co-op - B.Sc. (UBC)
Gahan Divan, Co-op - B.Sc. (UBC)
Shirley Phan Co-op - B.Sc. (UBC)
Stacy Kim (In Progress), Co-op - BSc, University of Saskatchewan
Former Schaetzl Lab Members
- Yuzury Taguchi MD, PhD, research associate/postdoc
- Samspon Law, lab manager
- Manel Ben Aissa, Ph.D., postdoc
- Shweta Sah, lab technician
- Amalia Rose, Coop student
- Shikha Jain Ph.D., postdoc
- Ai Tran, PhD, postdoc
- Shubha Jain , MSc student
- Shabboo Rahimi, MSc student
- Mariam Ansari, MSc student
- Sophia Schwojer, Visiting student (University of Munich)
- Lovisa Johansson, Visiting student (Linköping University Sweden)
- Christobal Winkens, MSc student
- Simrika Thapa, MSc Student
- Dr. Mohamed Elsutohy, Ph.D., postdoc
- Dr. Hanaa Ahmed-Hassan, Ph.D. Postdoc
- Dr. Simrika Thapa, Ph.D. Postdoc
- Dr. Waqas Tahir, Ph.D. Postdoc
- Dr. Rupali Walia, Ph.D. Postdoc
- Lilian Oribhabor, Lab Technician
- Bukola Alli, Lab Technician
- Missy Stuart, lab manager, now lab manager Jarvis lab/UW
- Ted John, reserach associate, now retired
- Fawn Pickard, lab technician, now UW
- Leah Kyle PhD, PhD student, now UW
- Shaihla Khan, MSc student, now PhD student UW
- Xiaotang Du, MSc student, now research associate UCSF Medical School
- Lauren Millett, MSc student, now medical school University of Washington, Seattle
- Arla Mistica, undergraduate, now MSc UW
- Nandini Chitoor, MSc student
- Benedikt Zacher PhD (visting student), now Genecenter Munich
- Silvia Lisa Ferrer, PhD (visiting student),now University of Crete, Greece
- Sabine Gilch PhD, MSc and PhD student/postdoc/group leader, now CRC and Assistant Professor, UofC
- Ina Vorberg, PhD, postdoc and group leader, now Associate Professor, DZNE Bonn, University of Bonn
- Carmen Krammer (Nussbaum-Krammer) PhD, MSc and PhD student, now group leader/PI, University of Heidelberg, Center for Molecular Biology Heidelberg (ZMBH)
- Dieter Hoffmann MD, group leader, now Head Clinical Virology unit, TU Munich
- Gloria Lutzny PhD, MSc and PhD student, now Group Leader TUM
- Yasmine Aguib, PhD, MSc and PhD student, now scientific advisory staff of the President TU Munich
- Andi Heiseke PhD, MSc and PhD student, now patent laywer Munich
- Max Nunziante PhD, PhD student and postdoc, now biotech company Munich
- Christian Bach PhD, MSc and PhD student, now postdoc Technical University of Munich, Germany
- Sigrid Bulow MD, group leader, now group leader University of Regensburg
- Inge von Truchsess PhD, group leader, now Senior Instructor LGA Munich
- Fraziska Wopfner MD, group leader, now medical specialist
- Alexa Ertmer PhD, PhD student and postdoc, now self-employed
- Gunnar Kaiser-Schulz PhD, PhD student, now biotech company Germany
- Lars Gädtke PhD, postdoc, now postdoc Boehringer, Germany
- Andrea Grassmann PhD, master student, now postdoc DZNE Bonn
- Julia Hofmann PhD, master student, now postdoc MRC London
- Christopher Bruns PhD, PhD student, now biotech company Germany
- Martha Schneider PhD, MSc and PhD student, now postdoc Helmholtz Center Munich
- Claudia Diemer PhD, MSc and PhD student, now Scientist Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Bavaria
- Maurizio Ruiz-Hipp PhD, PhD student
- Kerstin Ackermann, lab technician
- Jochen Frueh, undergraduate, now PhD student TUM
- Hanna Wolf PhD, MSc student, now postdoc DZNE Bonn
- Theresa Schäffler (Bachhuber), MSc student, now PhD University of Tuebingen
- Kim Dietrich, lab technician, now Genecenter Munich
- Romina Rost, lab technician, now TUM
- Katja Gopienko, bachelor and master student, now self-employed
- Ann Katrin Felux, bachelor student
- Elke Maas, bachelor student
- Florian Schmidt, bachelor student
- Frauke Konig, bachelor student
- Heike Anders, bachelor student
- Melanie Eck, master student
- Tobias Wauer, master student
- Veronika Huber, master student
- Beate Hagl, master student
- Heike Sollner, master student
- Marlene Pulgar, master student
- Martina Muller, master student
- Jutith Seebach, lab technician
- Janine Quaas MD, MD student
- Claudia Kehler, lab technician, now DVM
- Hafner-Bratkovi? Ida PhD, visiting scientist, now group leader National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Glaucia Hajj PhD, visiting scientist, now group leader Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, São Paulo, Brazil
- Tamaki Kimura PhD, visiting scientist, now University of Sendai, Japan
- Sabine Gilch, lab manager
- Alexa Ertmer, PhD student
- Max Nunziante, PhD student
- Christian Spielhaupter PhD, PhD student, now biosafety officer Technical University of Munich
- Christine Banaschewski PhD, postdoc
- Stefka Stoyanova PhD, postdoc
- Marco Scelsi MD, MD student, now medical specialist
- Franziska Wopfner MD, MD student, now medical specialist
- Georg Weidenhofer MD, MD student, now medical specialist
- Ingo Westner MD, MD student, now manager Microsoft Germany
- Maria Oboznaya, visiting PhD student, now University of Moscow, Russia
- Xingsheng Hou, PhD student
- Emilia Sieger, lab technician