This conversation with D2R Training Program Officer, Anthony Van Kessel, has been edited for length and clarity.聽

Hi聽Kate,聽thanks for talking to me!聽You are a D2R Doctoral Scholar supervised by Professor Guy Rouleau.聽What made you think that you might be聽a good candidate聽for this award and why were you interested in becoming part of the D2R community?聽

Initially,聽I聽actually wasn't聽sure that I would be a good fit for D2R.聽The project that I proposed centres around bipolar disorder and schizophrenia,聽so I was on the fence about聽whether聽to apply.聽Then聽I thought about how聽I鈥檓聽doing single cell RNA sequencing analysis,聽which fits聽under聽the D2R umbrella. And my lab really has an environment of聽鈥渟hoot your shot鈥�,聽so I聽didn鈥檛聽want to lose out on a聽potentially rewarding聽experience.聽

Do you think now that you are a Scholar and have been聽participating聽in the activities聽that you are in the right spot?聽

Yes,聽I do.聽While there is obviously a big focus on RNA therapeutics as the goal outcome,聽I am聽doing聽fundamental research outside of a wet lab. But聽as聽I鈥檝e聽participated聽in聽more and more聽of the events,聽I鈥檓聽realizing that there聽are聽a聽lot of people聽and trainees spread across聽different disciplines.聽There is so much variety in the training as well 鈥撀營鈥檝e聽seen talks this year about breast cancer, intellectual property, and data science.聽And I have been involved in the EDI Community of Practice which has allowed me to expand my knowledge within the EDI space.聽In聽the D2R EDI Community of Practice,聽there is another person that does entirely bioinformatics 鈥� so I聽definitely feel聽like I fit in now that聽I鈥檝e聽met the entire community.聽

Yes, D2R is聽definitely聽bringing聽trainees聽together聽from broad disciplines.聽Where did you study before 涩里番?聽And why 涩里番?聽

I did an undergraduate聽degree in Biology with聽an聽Honours聽Specialization in Genetics at Western University, in London, Ontario.聽During my聽undergrad,聽my genetics聽professors kept bringing up聽涩里番鈥檚 Human Genetics department聽as聽a great place聽for genetics research 鈥� so that inspired me to come to 涩里番 for graduate school.聽聽

Can you briefly describe your PhD project?聽

Yes, my D2R-funded project聽involves single-nuclei RNA sequencing analysis of a brain region called the anterior cingulate cortex, which is involved in emotional regulation, impulse control,聽and聽decision making.聽The primary focus聽is to look for changes or differences in gene expression between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, with the downstream goal聽of聽identifying聽potential biomarkers for differentiating these two closely聽related聽disorders.聽The project聽really sits at the intersection of a few different fields,聽such as聽neuroscience,聽psychiatry, human genetics, and computational biology.聽聽

So,聽you are doing the analysis of data from what sources?聽聽

We are using data from post-mortem brain tissues聽from a variety of patients聽that have donated聽their samples聽to brain banks. There are unaffected controls, and then a subset of people who were diagnosed with bipolar disorder and another with schizophrenia.聽And聽the sequencing data聽was obtained usingSplit-pool ligation-based transcriptome sequencing (SPLiT-seq).聽

Did you come in with a lot of bioinformatics experience?聽

No, I really started off with minimal聽bioinformatics or聽computational experience. The ability to read code is a skill that聽I鈥檝e聽acquired聽over the course of my PhD.聽

I聽don鈥檛聽think that your main project is the only research you have worked on during your PhD, correct?聽

Yes,聽that鈥檚聽right. As part of the Human Genetics program,聽we鈥檙e聽offered an opportunity聽to do a research internship course at the Centre of Genomics and Policy聽(CGP)聽for credit. It was an optional,聽additional聽commitment,聽but I connected with Professor Ma鈥檔 Zawati and聽enrolled in聽the聽one semester course.聽

Did you enjoy working on a project more in the ethics research space?聽

Yes, I did!聽My part was to do a literature synthesis of the ethical,聽legal聽and social implications of聽artificial聽intelligence聽in genomic聽biomarker聽identification. This was聽very different聽from what I normally work on聽鈥� I聽didn鈥檛聽realize there is聽a whole world聽of methods of how to do a literature review or synthesis. It is very systematic and a totally聽different way聽of doing research.聽聽

What did you learn from this experience that you can bring to your thesis project?聽

The skills are聽definitely transferable, especially towards聽writing聽my thesis where聽the first step is a聽huge background literature review.聽I already read papers very differently in terms of how to scan them, how to聽identify聽take-home messages, and how to synthesize findings.聽Also,聽in terms of becoming more well-rounded, I聽feel as a PhD student you can聽become so zoomed in聽on聽your project and聽it's聽so niche that you聽kind of forget聽that so much else exists. And聽nothing happens in isolation聽鈥� there are so many other areas of research, and this has given me an appreciation for a different type of research.聽I聽now realize that the聽ethical,聽legal聽and social implications are always integrated into your research whether you focus on them or not.聽

Interesting 鈥� what is something that you have thought about in your project that you聽hadn鈥檛聽before this experience at the CGP?聽

Well,聽there are聽definitely聽aspects聽of personal background that will influence openness to donating your body to research or seek medical treatment.聽Also,聽in my single cell analysis, I was surprised to think about:聽where is the genetic ancestry testing? In the genomics and population studies spaces,聽genetic ancestry could have a聽huge influence on the outcomes of your analyses, and it needs to be integrated.聽

Taking a step back, have you given any聽thought聽to what comes after your PhD?聽

Yes, I am starting to think about this, but I am not聽totally sure, to be honest.聽It鈥檚聽hard to decide because聽there are so many types of careers that can be rewarding. But聽I鈥檝e聽always had this medical frame of mind聽having a family member with a rare genetic condition. And聽so,聽my dream is to work in a hospital setting, potentially with patient data, helping with聽quick, data-driven聽analyses聽as that becomes more of the norm. There are some hospitals, like SickKids, that already do this type of work.聽

Before we wrap up, is there anything聽you want the D2R community to know about you?聽

I mean, one thing I always share is that I get way too invested聽in reality TV. Some say聽it鈥檚聽brain聽rot,聽I say聽it鈥檚聽psychosocial analysis!聽I also like to spend time with my family as I am an aunt, so I get to babysit a lot.聽I also want to highlight聽again聽that I聽didn鈥檛聽come into my PhD with a huge bioinformatics background聽and I have been able to find my way through different opportunities and events.聽Like聽with D2R, I聽didn鈥檛聽come into the community with a project I knew would fit in, but I feel at home here now.聽

Learn more about the research being carried out by聽Professor Guy Rouleau's Group at 涩里番!