Ivan Kristell Domingo is the Molecular Pharmacology Highlighted Trainee Author for the March 2023 issue. He is a pre-doctoral trainee in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Alberta. His mentor is Dr. Amit P. Bhavsar. The Molecular Pharmacology article that earned his selection as a Highlighted Trainee Author is titled: “Cisplatin Toxicity is Mediated by Direct Binding to TLR4 Through a Mechanism that is Distinct from Metal Allergens” and is available at: https://doi.org/10.1124/molpharm.122.000595.
Mr. Domingo currently operates as a research assistant and lab technician. He helps to investigate the role of inflammasomes in the regulation of placental epithelial cell death. Mr. Domingo also aids with developing a transcriptomic approach for studying advanced-age pregnancy pathologies.
The anticipated impact of Mr. Domingo’s current research is on placental cell death regulation, which, so far, appears to be unique – using resources present throughout other cells in novel ways. Elucidating these mechanisms may provide another step in understanding maternal/fetal tolerance mechanisms and responses to infections during pregnancy. Moreover, syncytialization has been shown to occur in melanoma and breast cancer patients, as well as those infected by SARS CoV2. Understanding how syncytiotrophoblasts micromanage drivers of pyroptosis may provide us with promising targets for dealing with deleterious aspects of such pathologies.
Mr. Domingo feels that assisting in a transcriptomic analysis of AAP could pave the way for more targeted research ventures. The hope is to produce an atlas of cells with their specific roles and predicted networks of communication throughout the course of a human pregnancy over time. Doing this could help us and others identify or validate core mechanisms, such as angiogenesis, and the most critical factors that mediate healthy pregnancies and deteriorate over time.
Outside of his work, Ivan enjoys exploring the great outdoors, hiking, and skating. He also enjoys road trips, playing guitar and piano, and gaming with friends.