Speakers

Huda Alfarekh

Huda Alfarekh is in her final semester of a Bachelor of Science (Co-op) in Microbiology at the University of Manitoba. She has completed three co-op placements in the Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, including two in the Michaels Lab, where she worked on a variety of synthetic biology and cell therapy projects, one of which focused on improving the cost efficiency of CAR T-cell manufacturing.

She is interested in translational research that bridges bench and bedside and is motivated by the need to make access to gene and cell therapies more equitable.

Yale Michaels, PhD

Yale Michaels is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics at the University of Manitoba and a principal investigator at the Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute CancerCare Manitoba.

Yale obtained a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology from Harvard University in 2013 and a PhD (DPhil) in Medical Science from Oxford University in 2019. From 2019 to 2022, Yale was a Banting postdoctoral fellow in Professor Peter Zandstra’s lab at the University of British Columbia’s School of Biomedical Engineering. During his fellowship, he developed a clinically translatable method for differentiating pluripotent stem cells into T cells.

The Michaels lab applies principles of bioengineering and synthetic biology to develop safe, effective and accessible gene and cell therapies for cancer and immunological disorders.

Topic

Broadening Access to Genetically Modified Cell Therapies Through Cost-effective Manufacturing

Details

December 1, 2025
9:00 – 10:00 AM
JBRC 500