WHAT WE DO
Our lab is focused on unraveling the complexity of the tumor microenvironment (TME)—a dynamic ecosystem of tumor cells, immune cells, stromal cells, and extracellular matrix that profoundly influences cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. Among the most pressing challenges in oncology today is understanding how these diverse cell populations interact and how such interactions shape the response to immunotherapies like checkpoint blockade and CAR T cell therapy.
Despite recent advances, critical questions remain—especially regarding how individual cells within this heterogeneous environment communicate with one another. We believe that decoding these communication networks is key to unlocking more effective and durable cancer treatments.
To address this, our lab integrates single-cell and spatial multi-omics technologies with CRISPR-based functional genomics, allowing us to study the TME with unprecedented resolution while preserving spatial context. This innovative approach enables us to uncover the molecular dialogues between cancer and immune cells, identify novel therapeutic targets, and ultimately guide the development of next-generation immunotherapies.
WHO WE ARE
Reza Mirzaei
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor, Department of Oncology
Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta
Reza earned his PhD in Immunology from Tehran University, where he focused on enhancing dendritic cell-based immunotherapy for cancer patients. During his postdoctoral work in Dr. Wee Yong’s lab at the University of Calgary, he studied the brain tumor microenvironment using integrative single-cell spatial transcriptomics. His research uncovered critical insights, including regulators of brain tumor-initiating cells, mechanisms of resistance to PD-1 blockade therapy, and the identification of new macrophage subsets in brain tumors. At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Mount Sinai in New York, Reza applied CRISPR screening to explore how the tumor microenvironment and cell interactions shape the effectiveness of immunotherapy such as CAR T cell therapy.
Rim Daher
Lab Tech
Rim earned her Master’s degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the University of Alberta. During her graduate studies, she investigated post-fertilization pathways in C. elegans, employing CRISPR technology and confocal microscopy to uncover novel components of the MEMI pathway. Her academic and teaching achievements have been recognized with several honors, including two Graduate Student Teaching Awards.
Elizabeth Reid
Graduate Student
Elizabeth is a graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in cancer sciences at the University of Alberta. She previously earned her bachelor’s degree in honours biochemistry from the University of Victoria, where she first developed a strong interest in understanding the complex interactions between cancer and the immune system. Elizabeth is eager to further expand her expertise in cancer biology and contribute meaningfully to the collaborative field of oncology research.
Mallak Salla
Undergraduate Student
Mallak is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Cell Biology at the University of Alberta. She is currently working as an undergraduate summer research student in the Department of Oncology. Her current research focuses on the tumor microenvironment, with an emphasis on macrophage-tumor interactions in glioblastoma, using single-cell RNA sequencing. Mallak is passionate about cancer biology and research, and is committed to advancing our understanding of immune responses in cancer.
WHAT WE HAVE DONE
Selected publications:
- 1-Mirzaei R*, McNeil R, D’Mello C, Sarkar S, Wong B, Visser F, Poon C, Bose P, Yong VW*. Spatially resolved single-cell analysis uncovers protein kinase C-expressing microglia with anti-tumor activity in glioblastoma. *Corresponding author https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.04.570023v2
- 2-Mirzaei R, D’Mello C, Nikolic A, Kumar M, Liu M, Sarkar S, Bose P, Gallo M, Yong VW. Single cell spatial analysis identifies regulators of brain tumor initiating cells. Cancer Research. 2023 May 15;83(10):1725-1741.
- 3-Mirzaei R, Yong VW. Microglia – T cell conversations in brain cancer progression. In press. Trends Mol Med. 2022 Sep 5;S1471-4914(22)00211-8.
- 4-Mirzaei R, Gordon A, Zemp F, Kumar M, Sarkar S, Luchman H, Bellail A, Hao C, Mahoney D, Dunn J, Bose P, Yong VW. PD-1 independent of PD-L1 ligation promotes glioblastoma growth through the NFB pathway. Science Advances. 2021 Nov 5;7(45):eabh2148.
- 5-Dzikowski L*, Mirzaei R*, Sarkar S, Kumar M, Bose P, Bellail A, Hao C, Yong VW. Fibrinogen in the glioblastoma microenvironment contributes to the invasiveness of brain tumor-initiating cells. Brain Pathol. 2021 Sep;31(5):e12947. *Co-first author.
- 6-Mirzaei R, Sarkar S, Dzikowski L, Rawji KS, Khan L, Faissner A, Bose P, Yong VW. Brain tumor-initiating cells export tenascin-C associated with exosomes to suppress T cell activity. OncoImmunology. 2018 Aug 6;7(10):e1478647.
- 7-Sarkar S, Yang R*, Mirzaei R*, Rawji K, Poon C, Mishra MK, Zemp FJ, Bose P, Kelly J, Dunn JF, Yong VW. Control of brain tumor growth by reactivating myeloid cells with niacin. Sci Transl Med. 2020 Apr 1;12(537):eaay9924. *Co-second author.
- 8-Kaushik DK, Bhattacharya A, Mirzaei R, Rawji KS, Ahn Y, Rho JM, Yong VW. Enhanced glycolytic metabolism supports transmigration of brain-infiltrating macrophages in multiple sclerosis. J Clin Invest. 2019 May 21;129(8):3277-3292.
- 9-Sarkar S, Mirzaei R, Zemp FJ, Wei W, Senger DL, Robbins SM, Yong VW. Activation of NOTCH Signaling by Tenascin-C Promotes Growth of Human Brain Tumor-Initiating Cells. Cancer Res. 2017 Jun 15;77(12):3231-3243.
- 10-Mirzaei R, Sarkar S, Yong VW. T Cell Exhaustion in Glioblastoma: Intricacies of Immune Checkpoints. Trends Immunol. 2017 Feb;38(2):104-115.
JOIN US
If you are passionate about the tumor microenvironment and immunotherapy, and eager to tackle challenging questions, we encourage you to reach out. We are always looking for candidates for PhD and postdoctoral positions. Candidates should send a statement of interest and CV to rmirzaei@ualberta.ca
WHERE WE ARE
We are part of the Cross Cancer Institute and affiliated with the Department of Oncology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.