Our Lab Members

Our Principle Investigator

Philip Marsden, MD

Dr. Philip Marsden is the Platform Director of the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, as well as a Clinician Scientist and Nephrologist in the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital.

His research interests include understanding the contribution of important endothelial genes to disease processes, novel aspects of how these endothelial genes are regulated, and addressing the molecular basis for serious diseases of the cardiovascular and renal systems.


Paul Turgeon

PhD Candidate

I completed my honours B.Sc. in cell and molecular biology. I completed my M.Sc. thesis on the regulation of proteins through degradation at the University of Toronto in the department of Cell and Systems Biology. I joined Dr. Marsden’s lab as a PhD candidate in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Toronto. My research interests include the regulation of gene expression through epigenetics. My current research is focused on the epigenetic regulation of the VCAM1 gene in endothelial cells and the role DNA methylation plays in heterogeneous gene expression.

Matthew Yan

PhD Candidate

I earned my BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Toronto. I am interested in the contribution of epigenetic pathways in the regulation of endothelial cell gene expression in health and disease. Currently, I am characterizing the role of a histone acetyltransferase in endothelial cell physiology.

Jeffrey Man

PhD Candidate

Jeff completed medical school at the University of Alberta and residency training at the University of Toronto. He is a graduate student in the Institute of Medical Sciences. He is interested in gene regulation, particularly epigenetic gene regulation.

Michelle Dubinsky

PhD Candidate

Kay Ku

PhD Candidate

Aravin Sukumar

PhD Candidate

Joseph Samuel

MSc Candidate

I received my Doctor of Pharmacy from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto in 2016. Prior, I studied Life Science at the University of Toronto, majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics & Microbiology. My research interests lie in discovering novel methods to detect the presence of cancer, with a particular focus on RNA molecules as biomarkers. My current research project will define long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) that are functionally important in kidney cancer, and their potential use in differentiating small renal masses (SRM) that are benign from SRM that become malignant.

Lucy Chen

MSc Candidate

I completed my honours BSc degree in Biochemistry, specializing in Biotechnology, at McMaster University as part of the co-operative program. I joined Dr. Marsden’s lab in 2016 as a MSc candidate in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. I have a broad interest in epigenetics and vascular biology. My project currently focuses on how intrinsic differences in endothelial cells can contribute to different propensities for developing vascular disease within the lifetime of an individual. Specifically, I am interested in the relationships between DNA methylation, allele-specific gene expression, and cellular heterogeneity and how these impact cell survival and expansion across mitotic cell division.

Eileen Tran

MSc Candidate

Tiana Downs

MSc Candidate

Brent Steer

Research Associate