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Every innate immune reaction is a lesson on how to survive infections without dying in the attempt
Lab members
Karina Cirone
Laboratory Manager
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary
I am from Balcarce, Argentina. I completed a B. Sc. in of Food Science and Technology at the University of Mar del Plata, Argentina. Thereafter, I completed a Dr. degree in Animal Science at the University of of Buenos Aires province (Argentina) investigating diseases in cattle caused by mycobacteria. Currently, I am a Research Scientist at the National Institute for Agricultural Technology (Argentina), and Assistant Professor in General Microbiology and Food Microbiology at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (University of Mar del Plata, Argentina). There, I have worked on research projects focusing on cattle diseases caused by zoonotic bacteria and protozoan parasites. I joined Dr. Cobo’s lab in March 2022 to acquiring training in immunology and molecular biology. My current research investigates the gut innate immunity in infectious colitis exploring models of colitis in calves, pigs, and mice and role of bioactives in bovine colostrum on gut health.
Laboratory Technician
Production Animal Health, University of Calgary
I completed my bachelor’s degree in Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology at the University of Calgary in the summer of 2022 with first class distinction. During my undergraduate degree, I completed my honors thesis on understanding the metabolic differences between the causative agents of Lyme disease and relapsing fever at the Lewis Lab in the Department of Biological Sciences. At the Cobo Lab, I work on understanding the effect of innate immune peptides on colitis infections using C. rodentium infection in mice as animal model, along with multiple research projects. Outside the lab, I love to do some painting and some baking and share that with the lab members.
Rita
Franco Fiorani
Visiting Professor/Researcher
Production Animal Health, University of Calgary
I obtained my DVM from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, National University of the Center of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Thereafter, I undertook a residency in Animal Health where I received training on the different diagnostic strategies of the main diseases that affect bovine production systems at the National Institute for Agricultural Technology (Argentina).
Currently, I am going through the last stages of my Ph.D. (National Council on Scientific and Technical Research – Argentina) where I study different aspects of the immunopathogenesis of the protozoa Neospora caninum infection cattle. Besides, I am an Assistant Professor in Genetic Animal Improvement at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (University of Mar del Plata, Argentina). There, I work on research projects focused on genetics and animal health.
I joined Dr. Cobo's laboratory in November 2022 to investigate gut immunity in infectious colitis in pigs and treatment with bioactive molecules
Rodrigo Puentes
Visiting Professor/Researcher
Production Animal Health, University of Calgary
I obtained my DVM from the Faculty of Veterinary, University of the Republic, Uruguay (UDELAR). After that, I got a MSc in Microbiology and Ph.D. in Animal health at the same university, UDELAR. In Uruguay, I was formerly Professor in Immunology (2008 - 2016) and since 2017, I am Associate Professor in Virology and Head of the Microbiology - Pathology Department at the Faculty of Veterinary (UDELAR). My main research interests are related to understanding the pathogenesis and diagnosis of cattle infectious diseases, including bovine leukemia virus, Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD), and Bovine tuberculosis (TB). Now, at the Cobo Lab, I am visiting researcher since January 2023 and investigate innate immune defenses in infectious colitis models in mice and pigs.
Graduate students
Ph.D. Veterinary Medical Science Graduate Program, Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary
Priyoshi Lahiri
I was drawn to the paradigm of the drug-body interaction, when I first learned about the hypothesis of ‘magic bullet’ that can course through our body and find and bind to its target with exquisite specificity, thereby transforming a previously fatal and lethal disease to a treatable one. Being evoked with keen interest to delve into the depth of this science, I pursued a degree in Bachelors of Pharmacy and graduated summa cum laude from my native country, Bangladesh. This was a turning point in my academic life as it started to instill in me an unbounded fascination about the immune systems of living organisms and propelled me to immerse myself in the world of biological molecules that function with incredible intricacy to maintain and perpetuate life. Thus in an urge to comprehensively understand the basics of the immune system, I completed a course-based one-year Master’s Degree in Integrated Immunology at the University of Oxford in 2016 and then worked as a research assistant there for a period of 6 months. I joined Dr.Cobo’s lab in September 2017 with the conviction of acquiring extensive training in molecular biology and immunology under his supervision. My primary research focus now is studying the immune-modulatory roles of cathelicidins against Treponema infections in mice as model organisms.
Grace Yoon
MS.c. Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Graduate Program, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
I completed my Bachelor of Health Sciences degree at the University of Calgary in the summer of 2019. Throughout my degree, I was actively involved in various research projects pertaining to wound healing and skin regeneration in the Biernaskie Lab. During the last year of my degree, I completed my honours thesis, which consisted of exploring the role of HIC1 in skin regeneration in vivo. My undergraduate research experience inspired me to pursue a graduate degree and has led me to join the Cobo Lab in January 2021. My current research investigates the effect of cathelicidin on neutrophil activity during infectious colitis.
MS.c. Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Graduate Program, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
I completed my Bachelor degree in Biotechnology at the National University of Rosario, Argentina. During my BSc thesis I worked towards elucidating how exposure to gliphosate, a widely used herbicide, affected the Wnt cannonical pathway in the brain of newborn rats. My interest in health sciences and research brought me to the Cobo Lab, where I will be studying the mechanisms through which the Toll like receptor regulates Citrobacter rodentium infection in mice.
Paula Forneris
MS.c. Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Graduate Program, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of British Columbia, where I participated in multiple research projects focusing on cancer and immunotherapy. My senior research project exploring the impact of short-chain fatty acids on the NLRP3 inflammasome increased my fascination with the innate immune system and motivated me to pursue a Master of Science with the Cobo Lab. My current research will investigate the effect of IL-4 educated macrophages during infectious colitis.
Samantha Cortez
Undergraduate students
Aydin Herik
Bachelor Health of Sciences Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
(2022-ongoing)
Anika Dies
Bachelor Health of Sciences Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
(2023-ongoing)
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Orchee Haque
Bachelor of Sciences, McGill University
(2023-ongoing)
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