The Team
Dr. Samira Ghorbani
Principle Investigator
Dr. Ghorbani is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga. She received her PhD in Immunology from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary under the supervision of Dr. V. Wee Yong.
Contact information:Email: samira.ghorbani@utoronto.ca
Research Awards & Funding
Current:
- Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Myelin Repair and Matrix Biology of Aging
- NSERC Discovery Grant (2025)
- MS Canada Catalyst Research Grant (2025)
- Research and Scholarly Activity Fund (RSAF), University of Toronto Mississauga (2025)
Previous Fellowships
- CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (2021 - 2023)
- MS Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (2021 - 2023)
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (2019 - 2021)
Dr. Majid Ghareghani
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Ghareghani earned his doctorate from Laval University in Canada, where his research focused on multiple sclerosis. He then completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Alzheimer’s disease in the laboratory of Dr. Serge Rivest at CHUL Research Center. In May 2025, he joined our lab to continue his postdoctoral research, now focusing on regenerative capacity of CNS in multiple sclerosis.
Contact information:Email: m.ghareghani@utoronto.ca
Recent Publications
His full list of publications can be found on his PubMed profile or Google Scholar profile.
- Ghareghani M, Arneaud A, Rivest S. The evolution of mesenchymal stem cell-derived neural progenitor therapy for Multiple Sclerosis: from concept to clinic. Front Cell Neurosci. 2024.
- Ghareghani M, Rivest S. The Synergistic Potential of Combining PD-1/PD-L1 Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors with NOD2 Agonists in Alzheimer's Disease Treatment. Int J Mol Sci. 2023.
- Ghareghani M et al. Inhibiting nighttime melatonin and boosting cortisol increase patrolling monocytes, phagocytosis, and myelination in a murine model of multiple sclerosis. Exp Mol Med. 2023.
- Ghareghani M et al. Melatonin and vitamin D, two sides of the same coin, better to land on its edge to improve multiple sclerosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2023.
Research Awards & Funding
- 2023 Alzheimer's Disease Research Award - Lemaire Family Foundation (2023)
- Ven-Huguette-Anil-Murthy Success Scholarship (Neurodegenerative diseases) (2022)
Daniel Pourrahimi
MSc Student
Daniel is a first-year masters student who completed his HBSc at UTM majoring in biology for health sciences. He started in the lab as a BIO481 thesis student focusing on aging in MS, primarily through changes in oligodendrocyte populations and senescent phenotypes.
Contact information:Undergraduate Students
Joy Oghogho Bello-Osagie
CIHR-USRA Undergraduate Researcher
Joy is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing her HBSc in Biology at the University of Toronto Mississauga. She joined our lab in May 2025 as a CIHR-USRA funded Research Student. Her research focuses on investigating the role of telomere shortening in oligodendrocyte differentiation.
Mahdi Azarmi
UTEA Undergraduate Researcher
Mahdi is a fourth-year HBSc student specializing in Biotechnology at the University of Toronto whose current research in the lab focuses on how oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) respond to senescence during neuroinflammation - in other words, why certain brain cells seem to retire early when things get stressful. He has a strong interest in the molecular mechanism of disease, particularly in how various pathways and proteins interact. Outside the lab, Mahdi can often be found going on walks or enjoying a warm tea while binging a favorite show.
Mridula Shivaram
ISSRP Undergraduate Researcher
Mridula is an undergraduate student majoring in Neuroscience at McGill University. In the Ghorbani lab, her work focuses on investigating gene expression levels and telomere shortening in tissue samples in the context of neuroinflammation and aging. In her free time, Mridula enjoys reading thrillers and playing tennis.
Mary Nguyen
ROP Student
Mary is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto Mississauga, completing her HBSc with a major in Biology for Health Sciences and minors in Chemistry and Biomedical Communication. She is interested in neurobiology and exploring the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive human diseases. Currently in the Ghorbani Lab, Mary is investigating the senescence profile of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) in EAE mice and human MS lesions using single-cell RNA sequencing datasets. Outside of the lab, Mary enjoys drawing, painting, reading Webtoons, traveling, spending time at the library with a cup of matcha or coffee, and staying active through boxing and biking.
Volunteers
- Mona Lotfi (2025-)
- Riyam Ojaimi (2025-)
Lab Alumni
- Ayesha Tanveer, Undergraduate Thesis Student (2024-2025)
- Ayaan Haji, Research Assistant (2024-2025)