2021 Graduate Studies Entrance Award
Project title: A distinct human betaretrovirus triggered mitochondrial and transcriptomic signature in peripheral blood is related to the prognosis of primary biliary cholangitis
How would you describe your research project to someone without a scientific background?
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic disease in which the bile ducts in your liver are slowly destroyed. We are attempting to obtain more evidence from patients' blood to certify PBC as a viral-related disease and find some significant genes to prognose the outcome of PBC.
What impact do you hope this project makes once completed?
This project will provide a new blood test to evaluate the prognosis of PBC.
How has the support from Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology helped you?
I know that the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology supports all of their researchers. That gives me, as a graduate student, confidence and a sense of achievement to continue doing my research.
What first attracted you to science?
Science usually focuses on the most critical questions in an unknown area. Virology research can lead to the prevention and cure of many infectious diseases, thus saving a lot of lives.
What's been the best part of your research experience so far?
The logic behind research is fascinating.
What three words describe your research experience?
Focus. Patience. Curiosity.
What are you inspired by? Who inspires you? Why?
The research that Dr. Lorne Tyrrell and Dr. Michael Houghton have done inspires me a lot. I am thankful for their contribution to virology and our university. Also I feel proud that I am working at the University of Alberta with those fantastic colleagues.
If you could live in any other time, when might that be?
In the future when the COVID-19 pandemic ends. I want to know how or whether it will end.