What’s New

July 2025- July is a bittersweet month as we say farewell to our surgical resident, Dr. Halen Turner! We have enjoyed having her as part of the Kastrup lab, and look forward to hearing about all of her success as she returns to her residency! As we lose one surgical resident we gain two more! We are excited to welcome Dr. Alice Lee and Dr. Sarah Fisher to the lab! 

May 2025- Dr. Christian Kastrup has been selected as the next holder of the Ziegler Family Chair for Research at the Versiti Blood Research Institute. Congratulations, Dr, Kastrup!

April 2025-Congratulations to Emma Kang for passing her Master’s defence! Well done, Emma!

Mar. 2025- New Publication! “Emulsion-Based Encapsulation of Fibrinogen with Calcium Carbonate for Hemorrhage Control” has been published in the Journal of Functional Biomaterials

Mar. 2025- Congratulations to DR. Colton Strong for successfully defending his PhD thesis! Well done, Dr. Strong!

Jan. 2025- New Publication! “Genetic engineering of megakaryocytes from bloodprogenitor cells using messenger RNA lipid nanoparticles” has been published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Hemostasis. 

Sept 2024- Our recent publication “Genetic engineering of megakaryocytes from blood progenitor cells using mRNA lipid nanoparticles” was accepted in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. Congrats to those lab members involved!

  Sept 2024- NanoVation Therapeutics, a company spun-out of the Kastrup Lab, announce $600M partnership with Novo Nordisk to develop genetic medicines.

                     Click  here  for the press release!

Aug 2024-Four of our lab members presented their work at the annual MHSRS conference in Orlando, Florida! We are also excited to have a recent publication ‘Genetic Engineering of Transfusable Platelets with mRNA-Lipid Nanoparticles is Compatible with Blood Banking Practices’ accepted in the journal Blood. Congrats to those lab members involved.

July 2024- The lab is  welcoming our new MD/PhD student, Muskan Bansal. Welcome, Muskan!

June 2024- Our surgical resident, Monica, is concluding her time with our lab and returning to her surgery duties at MCW. Thanks for all your work and good luck back in surgery, Monica! New publication! “siRNA-mediated reduction of a circulating protein in swine using lipid nanoparticles.” has been accepted in Molecular Therapy-Methods and Clinical Development.

April 2024-  New publication! “RNA Therapeutics to control fibrinolysis: Review on applications in Biology and Medicine.” has been accepted in the Journal of Thrombosis and Hemostasis!  Several of our UBC lab members participated in the Norman Bethune Symposium giving poster presentations. Dr. Kastrup also gave a talk titled “Genetically modified transfusable donor platelets using mRNA-lipid nanoparticles”

Feb. 2024- New publication! “Lipid nanoparticles and siRNA targeting plasminogen provide long-acting inhibition of fibrinolysis in murine and canine models of hemophilia A.” has been accepted in Science Translational Medicine!  Dr. Christian Kastrup was featured in a podcast from the Naked Scientist. Check it out here: https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/interviews/breakthrough-blood-clot-breakdown-treatment

Jan. 2024-We have two new additions to the lab, Chad Skaer is joining as Research Technologist and Steven Vitullo is joining as Research Program Administrator. Welcome to the Kastrup Lab, Chad and Steven!

Fall 2023-We’ve had an exciting fall in the Kastrup Lab! Congratulations to our team for a new publication in ‘Science Advances’.We’ve also had several trainee led grants awarded! Way to go, Francesca and Laura for the Joan Cox Gill Pilot Award and Katherine for the Transfusion Medicine, Vascular Biology and Cell Therapy Program Research Staff/Trainee-led Pilot Grant

May 2023- A big month for awards in the Kastrup Lab! Congratulations to Dr. Amy Strilchuk for being named a 2023 Schmidt Science Fellow, and to Francesca Ferraresso and Colton Strong for receiving CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarships for their doctoral programs!

Apr 2023- Congratulations to Massimo Cau for successfully defending his PhD thesis! New Publication- “Ruggedized Self-Propelling Hemostatic Gauze Delivers Low Dose of Thrombin and Systemic Tranexamic Acid and Achieves High Survival in Swine with Junctional Hemorrhage.” accepted in Military Medicine

Mar 2023- Manoj Paul is joining the Versiti lab from the University of British Columbia! Welcome Manoj! New Publication- “Self-Propelling thrombin powder enables hemostasis with no observable rebleeding or thrombosis over three days in a procine model of upper gastrointestinal bleeding” accepted in ‘Gastrointestinal Endoscopy’.

Feb 2023-Visiting PhD student Matteo Ferraresso joins the Versiti lab from the University of British Columbia. Welcome Matteo!

Jan 2023- Research Trainee, Amanda Wietrzny, was accepted into the interdisciplinary Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin for Fall 2023. She will be pursuing her PhD in Biochemistry. Good luck, Amanda!

Nov 2022- 2022 has been an exciting year with lots of awards for students and post docs, as well as, grant funding, spin-off companies, and publications.

Oct 2022- Congratulations to Lih Jin Juang, and Amy Wong-Strilchuk for graduating with their PhDs in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology!

Apr 2021 – Well done to Amy Strilchuk for her CIHR CGS Doctoral Award, and to Madelaine Robertson and Colton Strong for their CIHR CGS Master’s Awards!

Mar 2021 – The Kastrup lab is awarded a CIHR Project Grant!

Jan 2021 – Welcome to Dr. Katie Badior and Dr. Adele Khavari, two new postdocs starting in our lab. Katie will be co-supervised by Dr. Eric Jan. Welcome back to Alyssa Yong, who started as an undergrad in our lab and is now a research technician.

Nov 2020 – New Publication “Post-Translational Modifications of Platelet-Derived Amyloid Precursor Protein by Coagulation Factor XIII-A*” accepted in Biochemistry.

Sep 2020 – Welcome to our two new graduate students, Madelaine Robertson and Colton Strong, who will be co-supervised by Dr. Pieter Cullis and Dr. Dana Devine, respectively.

Sep 2020 – Congratulations to Massimo Cau for his SBME GSI Entrance Award, and to Lih Jiin Juang for her UBC 4-year fellowship!

Sep 2020 – The Kastrup lab is awarded two US Department of Defense grants!

Aug 2020 – The Kastrup lab is looking for a new postdoc! More details on ‘Contact Us’ page.

Jul 2020 –  New publication “Sustained Depletion of FXIII-A by Inducing  Acquired FXIII-B Deficiency” accepted in Blood.

Jul 2020 –  Congratulations to Dr. Nima Mazinani who successfully defending his PhD!

Jun 2020 – New publication “Bleeding is increased in amyloid precursor protein knockout mouse” in Res Pract Thromb Haemost.

May 2020 – Well done to Jerry Leung for receiving the NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships Doctoral Award (PGS-D)!

Apr 2020 – Media coverage on our publication “Coagulation Factor XII Contributes to Hemostasis When Activated by Soil in Wounds” is released through various media outlets.

Apr 2020 – New publication “Coagulation Factor XII Contributes to Hemostasis When Activated by Soil in Wounds” in Blood Advances.

Apr 2020 – Well done to Dr. Jayesh Kulkarni for being awarded the Nanomedicines Innovation Network (NMIN) Postdoctoral Fellowship Award in Gene Therapy!

Apr 2020 – Well done to Amy Strilchuk for being awarded the William and Dorothy Gilbert Scholarships in Bio-Medical Sciences Award!

Apr 2020 – Congratulations to Jerry Leung, who successfully passed his Comprehensive Exam!