Research


Overview - Programmable molecular systems
Our mission is to enable precision and personalized approaches to medicine via the development of molecular and nanoscale technologies that are amenable to rational design (i.e. programmable). Our current efforts largely focus on engineering immune-based therapies to treat cancer and cellular diagnostics. We are an interdisciplinary research laboratory working at the intersection of nanotechnology, molecular engineering, immunology, and computational biology.
Overview - Programmable molecular systems
Immune-therapeutics and personalized vaccines
In defense of a vast border, our immune system has evolved intricate mechanisms to recognize pathogenic microbes such as viruses and bacteria. Using a range of techniques - DNA nanotechnology, molecular engineering, materials chemistry - we can engineer biosynthetic nanotechnologies that recapitulate the signals presented by these pathogens. We are using this capability to develop therapeutic strategies that direct powerful immune responses against complex diseases such as cancer.
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Immune-therapeutics and personalized vaccines
Molecular and single-cell technologies
Much of what happens inside the body is hidden to us, but are collectively encoded by incredible cell-type diversity and cell-cell interaction networks. We combine seemingly distant fields - DNA nanotechnology, machine learning, imaging, and microfabrication - to develop assays with unprecedented abilities to unravel this complexity of biological systems, dissect cell phenotypes, and diagnose diseases.
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Molecular and single-cell technologies

Latest News

Leo at the Molecular Programming Decadal Flightplan workshop in Seattle
The Molecular Programming Decadal Flightplan workshop is a community-driven, NSF-funded initiative to define a shared vision for the Molecular Programming field. This 3-day in-person conference brings together researchers to assess the state of molecular programming, develop a ten-year strategy for growing the field, and identify breakthrough technologies and collaborations that will accelerate our impact across science, medicine, materials, and beyond.
Jul 23, 2025
Leo at the Molecular Programming Decadal Flightplan workshop in Seattle
Amir's study on protecting DNA origami using PEG-grafted oligolysines now published in JACS! Congrats Amir and team!

Amir, Travis, and Shana’s work, now published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, showed that PEG grafted oligolysines can stabilize DNA origami while mediating interactions of surface-displayed ligands with cellular receptors. Congratulations team!

Jul 21, 2025
Leo highlights the lab at the annual Temerty Faculty of Medicine Research Showcase
Annual Faculty of Medicine Showcase - a full day of networking, workshops, panel discussions, and lectures attended by over 350 participants spanning undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty from across the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.
Jul 11, 2025
Leo highlights the lab at the annual Temerty Faculty of Medicine Research Showcase
Travis defends his PhD
Congratulations to our own Travis Douglas for delivering an excellent oral presentation and defense of his PhD thesis. Special thanks to Dr. Arghya Paul from Western University for being the external examiner!
Jul 8, 2025
Travis defends his PhD
Shana and Farshad representing the lab at the CRBI NSERC CREATE Conference
Jun 26, 2025
Shana and Farshad representing the lab at the CRBI NSERC CREATE Conference
Leo receives the Ontario Early Researcher Award for work on biomedical applications of DNA nanotechnology
Chou lab is one of 54 projects awarded by the Government of Ontario via the Early Researcher Award. Read the official press release here.
May 5, 2025
Chou lab welcomes Dr. Elisha Krieg from IPF Germany for a seminar and visit!
Dr. Krieg discusses his work on programmable polymer materials powered by DNA and their applications in cell culture as well as nucleic acid diagnostics. Welcome Dr. Krieg! Here’s a photo of Dr.
May 2, 2025
Chou lab welcomes Dr. Elisha Krieg from IPF Germany for a seminar and visit!
Leo and Aereas hosts the Toronto virtual hub for the EMBO ImmunoBiophysics symposium

We joined remotely to the conference located in France, along with U Oxford, UK; IISc in Bengaluru, India; and Institut Curie, Paris.

Meghan and Eric also gave talks on their research projects examining lymph node trafficking of DNA origami and tuning DNA origami immunogenicity

Apr 28, 2025
Leo and Aereas hosts the Toronto virtual hub for the EMBO ImmunoBiophysics symposium
Eric presents his work on the innate immune responses to DNA origami at the Society for Biomaterials meeting in Chicago
Apr 9, 2025
Meghan presents her work on lymph node targeting DNA origami at the ACS Spring Meeting in sunny San Diego
Mar 23, 2025
Congrats to Amir on being recipient of the 2025 Adel Sedra Award

See BME news coverage here and SGS profile here. Congratulations Amir!

Mar 7, 2025
Chou and Tsoi labs awarded Canadian Cancer Society - Disruptive Innovation Grant!

Cancer care is increasingly personalized, because no two cancer patients are the same. This is a huge challenge for clinical care, especially for patients with rare cancers, because the standard of care don’t work for them. We envision solving this problem through personalized medicine, by testing drugs on many patient disease ‘avatars’ and identifying the right drug or drug combinations for the right patient. These avatars are made of fragments of patient biopsies cultured in “jelly-like” scaffolds. These artificial environments will be crucial to maintain tissues outside the patient’s body. Our goal in this grant is to find such scaffold designs that maximize the viability of the tissues ex vivo so that drug screening is feasible.

Feb 12, 2025
Amir, Meghan, and Shana receipients of the 2025 EPIC Doctoral Awards

See news coverage here. Congratulations everyone!

Jan 14, 2025
Our DNA origami immune complexes article has been published online today in ACS Nano

Travis and Shana’s on synthetic immune complexes is now published online in the journal ACS Nano. They showed that patterned antigens on DNA origami can lead to the formation of immune complexes with distinct (and programmable) structures and cell uptake. Congratulations team!

Jan 6, 2025
Chou lab receives a two-year funding from Cancer Research Society to work on cancer vaccines

See UofT news coverage here

Nov 5, 2024
Farshad Murtada one of six BME PhD students to win National CGS-D Scholarship

Congratulations Farshad, and all BME CGS-D awardees. See UofT news coverage here

Sep 24, 2024
Our article on rewireable DNA computing building blocks has been published online today in JACS

Ryan’s work on combining PCR synthesis, solid-phase immobilization, and microfluidics to create DNA computers from reusable building blocks is now published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. A big thanks to Prof. Nadanai Laohakunakorn and his lab at University of Edinburgh for help with microfludics. Congratulations Ryan!

Sep 10, 2024
Farshad presenting his work on using DNA nanostructures for antigen-specific T cell capture at the annual NSERC CREATE/CRBI conference
Jul 22, 2024
Farshad presenting his work on using DNA nanostructures for antigen-specific T cell capture at the annual NSERC CREATE/CRBI conference
Chou and the Treanor labs awarded a 5-year CIHR grant on using DNA origami to study B cells
see the CIHR grant database
Jul 16, 2024
Chou lab members presenting at the annual ToBE departmental symposium
May 10, 2024
Chou lab members presenting at the annual ToBE departmental symposium
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