Tushar Dhawan, MSc Graduate

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Tushar was a project student in the Kaushic lab, and decided to stay on to continue his project as a Masters student. His project investigates the influence of TRIM26, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, in negatively regulating the antiviral responses and HSV-2 infection in the vaginal epithelium through innate immunity. Research in our lab has shown that TRIM26 inhibits IRF3 activation, consequently resulting in negative regulation of IFN-β production, and thus increased viral replication. It is hypothesized that over-expression of the TRIM26 gene will increase HSV-2 infectivity and knockout of the TRIM26 gene will reduce HSV-2 infectivity. Tushar completed his MSc in September 2021.

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Puja Bagri, PhD Graduate

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In 2014, Puja enrolled in the Medical Science Graduate Program at McMaster University to complete her Masters degree under the supervision of Dr. Kaushic and transferred into the PhD stream in 2016.

Puja's graduate project involved working with the mouse model of herpes-simplex type-2 (HSV-2) infection. Puja's project aimed at underlying mechanism behind enhanced protection observed in estradiol-treated mice, more specifically, by investigating the role of IL-17 and the establishment of tissue-resident memory cells in anti-viral immune responses to HSV-2. Puja completed her Honors PhD in 2020.

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Haley Dupont, MSc Graduate

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Haley joined the Kaushic lab in 2017 under the Medical Sciences Graduate program. Here she was looking at the microbiome and sex hormones in relation to HIV susceptibility in the female reproductive tract. Haley completed her Honours Master of Science at McMaster University in 2020.

Ramtin Ghasemi, MSc Graduate

Ramtin joined the Kaushic lab in 2017 in the Medical Sciences Graduate Program. His research examined humoral immune responses against HSV-2 in the female genital tract of mice under the influence of estradiol. Ramtin completed his Master of Science at McMaster University in 2020.