What We Do
Microbiome
Microbiomes (such as the human gut microbiome) contains hundreds of interacting microbial species in a dense microbial ecosystem (like a microbial rainforest). They are ubiquitous in the world and impact almost all aspects of our lives including health and disease, our food supply, and ecosystems. Using specialized microfluidic tools, we seek to understand how they work and manipulate key microbes that have been found to have significant impacts on health and the environment.
Droplet Microfluidics
Using microfluidic channels to manipulate tiny droplets, we can conduct massive numbers of cellular/molecular assays inside each droplet like tiny wells in a well plate. This is far faster and cheaper than any pipetting robotics. This technology enables us to generate enormous amounts of data, which combined with machine learning and AI enables us to gain unprecedented insights into complex systems like microbiomes.
Science Highlights
Targeted single-cell sequencing
Whole genome single-cell sequencing
Bacterial populations spontaneous diversification
LAB NEWS
2025
-
We are awarded a Canadian Foundation for Innovation grant for our ultrahigh-throughput experimental approach to microbiome research. Check out the news release here.
-
Jann is awarded a Sally and Paul BME Distinguished Graduate Scholar Award.
-
Dr. Lan presents at the EMBL New Approaches in Microbiology Conference.
-
We are awarded a JP Bickell award for using droplet microfluidics to Rapid Diagnostics of Antimicrobial Susceptibility in collaboration with the Maikawa Lab.
-
Jann and Tereza presents at BENEFIT Probiotics Conference!
-
We are awarded an EPIC grant for using single-cell sequencing to study dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes in the gut microbiome in collaboration with the Coburn Lab.
-
Jann and Tereza presents at ToBE Conference!
-
Raphael defends his Master thesis! Congratulations!
-
We are awarded a Canadian Foundation for Innovation grant for high-throughput studies of microbes with the Lawson and Mahedevan labs! Click here for more information.
2024
-
Dr. Lan gives a talk at the Cell LabLinks Symposium
-
Dr. Lan gives a talk at the Emerging Engineers and Scientists Seminar at Ohio State
-
Joseph represents Canada in the Dragon Boat and wins the world championship!
-
Dr. Lan speaks at the Canadian Society of Microbiologists conference
-
Dr. Lan speaks at the EPIC Microbiology and Infectious Disease Day
-
Our lab secures two X-seed grants for applying droplet screening to identifying gut microbial toxins (with the Navarre Lab) and plant growth promoting soil bacteria (with the Bell Lab). Click here for more details.
-
Dr. Lan publishes his single-cell sequencing paper in Nature Methods!
-
Jann is awarded the Queen Elizabeth Graduate Scholarship.
Land Acknowledgement
We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.