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Every innate immune reaction is a lesson on how to survive infections without dying in the attempt
Lab members
Rita Hannawayya
Laboratory Manager
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 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 won the 2025 UCVM Fixed Term Research Award
Postdoctoral Fellows
PDF. Veterinary Sciences Graduate Program, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary
I am a veterinarian specializing in swine health and genetics. I earned my D.V.M. at the University of Passo Fundo (Brazil). I completed an internship in epigenetics at Linköping University (Sweden) and an MSc in swine welfare and epigenetics at the University of São Paulo. I was awarded a Ph.D. in Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan, where I discovered a novel host defence peptide within the innate immune system of the pig. My goal is to understand the physiological mechanisms underlying host–pathogen–microbiota interactions and to develop practical solutions for the swine industry. Beyond the lab, I love cooking and spending time with my family and friends.
Arthur Nery Finatto
Graduate students
Ph.D. Veterinary Sciences Graduate Program, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary
I completed my Bachelor of Health Sciences degree in 2021 and my Master’s in Data Science and Analytics in 2023. During my Master's internship at the Cobo Lab, I focused on understanding transcriptomic changes in mice infected with Citrobacter rodentium using bulk RNA sequencing. After working as a research assistant for 8 months at the Cobo Lab, I started my PhD program in September 2024. My research centers on swine dysentery in pigs. I aim to evaluate the effects of a probiotic mixture on mitigating the disease and explore the underlying mechanisms through which it exerts its beneficial impact.
Niloofar Mirzadzare
Paula Forneris
Samantha Cortez
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.
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.
MS.c. Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Graduate Program, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
I completed my Honours Bachelor of Science in Immunology, Molecular Genetics, and Microbiology from the University of Toronto. During my undergraduate studies, I contributed to two main research projects: one examining B cells in the brain during Alzheimer's disease, and another exploring the effects of Epstein-Barr virus lytic proteins on nuclear speckles. My current research in the Cobo Lab focuses on uncovering the mechanisms by which Brachyspira hyodysenteriae alters the colonic mucus layer in pigs. Outside the lab, I love creating music on the piano and going to the movies.
Senya Wickramasinghe
Xuan Uyen Le
MS.c. Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Graduate Program, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
I completed my bachelor's degree in Human Biology at the University of California, San Diego. During my undergrad, I obtained research experience as an intern at Scripps Research Institute where I worked with Influenza in neonatal mice to understand the heterogeneity of tissue-resident B cell populations and their responses to viral infection in mucosal sites. Currently at the Cobo Lab, I am investigating the role of newly derived microbial peptides in C. rodentium-infected mice with colitis and their effects on the NLRP3 Inflammasome.
Undergraduate students
Bachelor Health of Sciences Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary (2024- Ongoing)
I am in my third year of the BHSc program majoring in biomedical sciences at the University of Calgary. My project is focusing on using bioengineered capsules to non-invasively sample the swine GI tract. Outside of the lab, I like to 3D design and print plant pots and ornaments!
Sraddha Uppili
Bachelor Health of Sciences Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary (2025- Ongoing)
I am in my second year of a Bachelor of Health Sciences, Bioinformatics. I love working with the pigs in our lab!
Delfina Cobo
Bachelor Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University. Mitacs Fellow (2025)
Yanshu Ye
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