CURRENT LAB MEMBERS

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​I graduated with a PhD from the Georg August University of Goettingen Germany. My PhD thesis was in the field of pancreatic cancer epigenetics. I moved into this beautiful city, Vancouver, in 2021 for my Postdoctoral research. I am very excited to start my work in the Kopp lab and grow as a researcher. I will be working majorly on epigenetic and transcriptional regulation of ductal cell differentiation during pancreas development and partly on the cellular origin of pancreatic cancer. Outside lab hours I love traveling, dancing, reading books, practicing yoga and volunteering in activities

               Shilpa Patil, PhD
             Postdoctoral Fellow
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I began graduate studies in the Kopp lab in 2016, and my work focuses on pancreatic development. The long-term goal of my project is to understand the molecular cues that regulate the pancreatic progenitor cell population and their differentiation. My research currently focuses on the Hippo signalling pathway and its effector Yap1, I have found that Yap1 is a molecular switch of pancreatic progenitor cell differentiation and pancreatic ductal tree organization. After hours, I like to play basketball, soccer and go hiking. Also, I have been trained in Uechi ryu karateka for many years. Music wise, I play a little saxophone and clarinet (they are basically the same thing….).

​         Shihao (Andy) Wang
              PhD Candidate
Ally Schweitzer, MSc
Laboratory Manager/Technician


I completed my Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, followed by my Master of Science in Medical Sciences at McMaster University in Ontario. My Master's thesis focused on identifying the mechanisms behind  statin-associated muscle pain. Upon completion of my degree, I decided that beautiful British Columbia was where my heart truly lied and so made the move to Vancouver. I'm very excited to learn more about pancreatic cancer research as the new lab manager for the Kopp Lab, and look forward to getting involved in some of the graduate and undergraduate projects. Outside of the lab I love to stay active by cycling, running, playing beach volleyball and hitting the slopes. 
Contact: allyson.schweitzer@ubc.ca
​Yan (Angela) Dou, BSc
Master's Student

​I completed my Bachelor of Science with Honors in Biochemistry at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle in 2018. Afterwards, I worked as a Research Scientist at an aging biology lab at UW, generating genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) with human centenarian longevity-related mutations. I am excited to start my first-year graduate studies at the Kopp Lab, focusing on immune cells population in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) derived from ductal or acinar cellular origin with over-activated Kras and knockout of Pten. Specifically, I will be looking at the macrophage polarization pattern in the tumour microenvironment (TME) in different PDAC cell lines. Outside of the lab, I like to explore different restaurants and enjoy the delicious Asian cuisines Metro Vancouver has to offer.
Grace Dong, BSc
Master's Student


I am a first-year master’s student in the Kopp lab. My main research area is
in mouse pancreatic development in embryonic stage. My previous projects
include the effects of GABA injection on endocrinogenesis in adult mice.
Currently, I am working on projects comparing the pancreatic development in
explant systems vs. in vivo. In my spare time, I enjoy swimming and playing
badminton.
Wesley Hunt
Directed Studies Student
I am an upper-level student in Microbiology and Immunology with a minor in Biochemistry. I worked as a full-time CO-OP student in the Kopp Lab for previous 16 months. My CO-OP projects focused on the activation of Kras and knockout of Pten in acinar cells of the exocrine pancreas and their involvement in PDAC tumorigenesis as well as cancer cell plasticity in molecular subtypes of PDAC using organoid tissue culture. I continue to be a part of the Kopp Lab as a directed studies student, and my project focuses on macrophage polarization in the PDAC microenvironment with a perspective on cellular origin - something very close to my heart as an immunologist. Outside of the lab, I enjoy being in the outdoors with my bike. I am also a huge language enthusiast, and I play violin, practicing 40 hours a day.
Justin Chhuor
Undergraduate Student
I am beginning my fourth year in the Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science program at UBC. I am investigating the organization of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment of the pancreas. Using mice as models for pancreatic cancer, I am studying if there are any differences in the distance of immune cells from epithelial cells when comparing normal tissue areas to areas containing lesions.  Thus far I have looked specifically at CD8+ cells in relation to normal epithelial cells, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells, inter papillary mucinous neoplasia, and mucinous metaplasia and plan to study macrophages next. I will be studying this in different mouse lines to see if there are any common patterns of immune cells to be found in the microenvironment of pancreatic tumors.
Annice Li
Directed Studies Student

I am an undergraduate student majoring in Biotechnology at UBC. I began in the Kopp Lab as a co-op student and am now continuing for directed studies. For my project, I am studying the role of Kras activation and p16 deletion in acinar vs ductal cells in PDAC, as well as investigating the PDAC tumour microenvironment. In my spare time, I like to explore outside by hiking and rock climbing. I also like to bake fresh breads and pastries.

Kopp Lab Alumni

​Kayla Bolduc, BSc, Lab Manager
Clare Hii, BSc
Chloe Hiu Shan Tam, BSc
Corbin Nold
Harleen Kaur Hehar, BSc​
Lorenzo Lindo, BSc
Soheila Zarei, MSc
Farnaz Taghizadeh, Technician
​Atefeh Samani, BSc
Alex Lee, MSc
Karnjit Sarai, BSc
Jason (Yu) Cao, Technician