Having just completed her Ph.D. studies at York University, Esther hails from the world of structural mass spectrometry and hydrogen-deuterium exchange. Her new focus will center on biophysical characterization of novel Huntingtin interactors in the lab of Dr. Rachel Harding.

Rebeka Fanti joined SGC Toronto in January 2023 as a PhD student in the Molecular Genetics Department at the University of Toronto. She is exploring the potential application of macrocyclic peptides as tools to investigate the role of the Huntingtin protein in the cell.

Samira is a PhD student at the University of Toronto, co-supervised by Drs. R. Harding and A. Edwards. She completed a BSc in Genetics and MSc in Nanobiotechnology at the University of Tehran. Her current research focuses on a genetic neurodegenerative disorder.

Ailin joined the Harding Lab in September 2024 as a PhD student in the Pharmacology department at the University of Toronto. She completed her BSc in Biology at York University.

Rocher is a PhD student in the Pharmacology & Toxicology Department at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on ligand discovery for proteins involved in trinucleotide repeat expansion disorders, namely polyglutamine disorders such as Huntington’s disease and spinocerebellar ataxias. She is training in various techniques for the biophysical and structural characterization of proteins and ligands.

Renu graduated with an MS in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University. In the Harding Group, she oversees daily operations to support research focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration and advancing therapeutic strategies.

Elisa graduated from Fleming College with an advanced diploma in Biotechnology. She has over ten years of experience producing recombinant proteins for various projects within the SGC.

Kieran joined the Harding lab in his final undergraduate year to research the cancer-linked protein MAGEA3. After his thesis, he continued studying MAGEA3, focusing on solving ligand bound co-crystal structures of MAGEA3 and compounds derived from the SGC’s AS-MS hit identification platform.

Swati earned her PhD at the Indian Institute of Science, specializing in biomolecular NMR and biophysics. She then pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University to gain expertise in cryo-EM. After a short stint at IIT Delhi, setting up and running a national Cryo-EM facility, Swati has joined the Harding lab with a fellowship awarded by the Hereditary Disease Foundation to study novel therapeutic protein targets for Huntington's disease. 

Meaghan joined the Harding Lab as an MSc student in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Toronto. She graduated with an HBSc in Fundamental Genetics and its Applications at the University of Toronto.

Madison earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from UC San Diego, where she developed purification strategies and functional assays for the Fragile X protein family, a group of RNA-binding proteins essential for neurodevelopment. Her current research focuses on the structural and biophysical characterization of proteins essential to reproduction, in order to identify promising targets for non-hormonal contraceptive development.

Ella Sussman is a fourth-year Biochemistry student at the University of Toronto with a strong interest in protein interactions. She is currently working with 3 proteins: ATAXIN-1, ATAXIN-3, and PFN1.

Lianna is an undergraduate student specializing in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Toronto. She is focused on using in vitro cell target engagement techniques to assess small molecule interactors and the role of Huntingtin in cells.

Inderpreet-Kaur Virk is a second-year Anatomy and Cell Biology student at McGill University with a strong interest in neurodegenerative disease research. She is currently investigating the role of MED15 in Huntington’s disease, focusing on liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) and polyglutamine-dependent mechanisms.