News and Updates


Left, front to back: Abdalla, Ninan, Etienne; Right, front to back: Jennie, Julia, Jung Hee

March 30, 2022

Farewell Dr. Abdalla Sheikh!

Abdalla has spent the last couple months since graduation wrapping up his work in the Abraham Lab and preparing for his new post-doc journey in Toronto. The Abraham lab came together for one last lab lunch with Abdalla before his departure from Vancouver. Wishing Abdalla safe travels and good luck with your move & future endeavours!


November 25, 2021 - Abdalla Sheikh graduates from UBC!

Congratulations Dr. Abdalla Sheikh!

Congrats Abdalla! Your hard work and dedication paid off! Abdalla defended his thesis in September 2021 and officially received his PhD degree on November 25, 2021! Despite the weather delaying the arrival of graduation gowns, Abdalla was still able to look dapper in his PhD gown and cap. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavours!


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June 7, 2021 - Abdalla SHeikh presents his phd work at UBC Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology exit seminar

“Interleukin-7Rα in the regulation of lymphocyte homeostasis and anti-viral responses to influenza/A infection”

Abdalla has completed another milestone in his PhD on June 7! He discussed his work on the importance of IL-7 in CD8 T cell and ILC2 responses to acute influenza infections through several sophisticated experimental models. Good luck with thesis writing Abdalla!


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April 21, 2021 - New findings published in BIORxiv!

“IL-7 is essential for accumulation of antigen-specific CD8 T cells and to generate clonotype-specific effector responses during airway influenza/A infection”

Novel results from Abdalla’s work showing that IL-7 is required for accumulation and function of specialized lymphocytes in the lungs during acute influenza infection have been published in pre-print server BioRXiv. Click here to read more!


September 22, 2020 - Welcome back to a new term!

The Abraham Lab would like to welcome everyone back to a new term with this song by Etienne, a senior PhD candidate in our lab! Stay kind and stay safe!


Click image to access podcast.Image from Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies.

Click image to access podcast.

Image from Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies.

April 7, 2020 - Ninan Abraham featured on The Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies Podcast

“Ep 6: Ninan Abraham on how the immune system protects us from pathogens like SARS-CoV-2”

Ninan and Kalina Christoff discuss how different strains of the same pathogen, SARS-CoV, can cause significantly different immune responses. The podcast features discussion of two recent COVID-19 research articles in Nature Medicine and The Lancet.


Professor Ninan Abraham, left, talks with Department of Microbiology and Immunology graduate student Jessica Silva at the UBC campus in Vancouver, B.C., February 13, 2020. UBC's Faculty of Science is trying to increase the diversity in their staff a…

Professor Ninan Abraham, left, talks with Department of Microbiology and Immunology graduate student Jessica Silva at the UBC campus in Vancouver, B.C., February 13, 2020. UBC's Faculty of Science is trying to increase the diversity in their staff and Professor Ninan Abraham is the faculty's lead on equity.

JIMMY JEONG/THE GLOBE AND MAIL

MARCH 2020 - NINAN ABRAHAM FEATURED IN GLOBE AND MAIL ARTICLE

“Universities work hard to improve diversity, but the challenge is an evolving one”

Ninan’s efforts on equity and inclusion as Associate Dean, Faculty of Science, were featured in an interview with Hina Imam. Includes reflections by by Sara-Jane Finlay, UBC AVP, Malinda Smith, Univ. of Alberta, and Joy Johnson, SFU.


DECEMBER 2019- UBC FOCUS ON PEOPLE COVERS NINAN ABRAHAM’S EDI EFFORTS

“Faculties use metrics analysis and education to reduce bias in recruitment”

Monique Rodrigues, UBC HR interviewed Ninan Abraham on his efforts as Associate Dean, Equity and Inclusion, in the Faculty of Science addressing faculty search committee orientations.


Left to right: Etienne Melese, Julia Lu, Abdalla Sheikh, Jennie Jackson, Ninan Abraham

Left to right: Etienne Melese, Julia Lu, Abdalla Sheikh, Jennie Jackson, Ninan Abraham

DECEMBER 2019 - HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE ABRAHAM LAB!

The Abraham lab wishes everyone a happy and restful holiday! We can’t wait to see what 2020 will bring!


SEPTEMBER 2019 - JENNIE JACKSON JOINS THE ABRAHAM LAB!

Jennie Jackson was a previous MICB 449 student in the Abraham Lab and is now joining our lab again as a MSc student this Fall! She will be working on the translational regulation of cytokines and their receptors by programmed ribosomal frameshift.


AUGUST 2019 - BRIAN SHIM SAYS GOODBYE TO THE ABRAHAM LAB.

Brian Shim, our summer student researcher, is saying goodbye to the Abraham lab to pursue graduate studies at the University of Calgary in September 2019. Good bye and good luck Brian!