Collegium Helveticum
Switzerland
fellow
Katherine Elvira
2023-2024
Home institution
University of Victoria, CA
Country of origin (home institution)
Canada
Discipline(s)
Chemistry
Theme(s)
Health
Fellowship dates
›
Biography
Katherine is the Canada Research Chair in Microfluidics for Drug Discovery and Health Care, Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar in partnership with the Canadians for Leading Edge Alzheimer Research Foundation, and an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Victoria, Canada. In 2023, she was awarded the Gilead Award for Excellence in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion by the Chemical Institute of Canada.
During her PhD at Imperial College London, Katherine worked on digital microfluidic platforms to perform automated chemical reactions. She then moved to ETH Zurich, where she worked as a senior scientist in the Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering. During this time, she developed a variety of microfluidic platforms for applications such as the quantification of lipid digestion, the safe generation of singlet oxygen for organic synthesis, and the rapid determination of distribution coefficients.
Research Project
Investigating How Nanoplastic Pollution Affects Human Cells
Although it is well-known that particles from plastic waste are found in all organs of the human body, including the placenta and the bloodstream, little is known about how they affect human cell membranes. Learning how plastics disrupt this protective barrier will allow us to understand how nanoplastics are toxic to human life and what effect they might have on human health.
During her fellowship, Katherine will start to build customizable human-mimetic artificial cells and tissues on a chip the size of a postage stamp. Her aim is to investigate how plastics that mimic those found in the environment interact with model cell membranes and what effect they have on the movement of drug molecules through the cell membrane.
Research Interests:
toxicity; nanoplastics; human-mimetic; artificial cells