HITS Team

Situated in the Immunology Department of McMaster University, we specialize in devising strategies for reliable, reproducible, and high quality data collection and analysis

Our Mission

It is our mission to provide our clients with the highest standard of quality expertise and knowledge in immune monitoring for clinical trials. It is our goal that by doing so we advance the development of new and current immunotherapies for patients.

Quality  Chain of Custody  Flow Cytometry  Cytokine  Clinical

Personnel

  • Jonathan Bramson, Ph.D.
    Jonathan Bramson, Ph.D. Director

    Dr. Bramson is an immunologist with over 20 years of experience in cancer and microbial immunology. He created HITS in 2008 to support clinical trials of novel cancer immunotherapies that were being developed through various academic consortia. Under Dr. Bramson’s guidance, HITS has been involved in a range of studies, including natural history studies, vaccine studies and studies of immune tolerance.

  • Robin Parsons, B.Sc.
    Robin Parsons, B.Sc. Analytical Project Manager

    Robin obtained her B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Western Ontario. As the founding member of HITS, Robin has in depth knowledge of its day-to-day functions and operations. Her expertise extends to the immunological assays performed in the facility where she is known for delivering high quality, reproducible data.

  • Jamie D. McNicol, B.Sc.
    Jamie D. McNicol, B.Sc. Analytical Project Manager

    Jamie completed his B.Sc. at Queen’s University, where he studied Biology and Mathematics. He is highly experienced in the methodologies and tools used by HITS to predict and extrapolate trends and patterns from biological data.

  • Ying Wu, M.Sc.
    Ying Wu, M.Sc. Analytical Project Manager

    Ying obtained her M.Sc. in microbiology and immunology from Laval University. She has accumulated great basic and clinical research experience after working for years in various academic and clinic research labs. She has ample skills for study design, trouble-shooting, and critical analysis as well as a passion for cancer research.

  • Jessica Irvine, B.Sc., RAQC
    Jessica Irvine, B.Sc., RAQC

    Jessica completed a Graduate Certificate in Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs and Quality Operations at Seneca College and received a B.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of Guelph. Her education and experience in the pharmaceutical industry provides her with a solid foundation of pharmaceutical quality systems and regulatory requirements. She applies this knowledge daily to implement and maintain the quality system in HITS.

  • Megan Hagerman, B.Sc.
    Megan Hagerman, B.Sc.

    Megan completed her B.Sc. at Wilfrid Laurier University where she studied Biology and Psychology. She also graduated from Centennial College with a Biotechnology Advanced Diploma. Megan’s vast experience in laboratory procedures and good documentation practices has made her a great candidate for our Quality Assurance department.

  • Limin Liu, M.Sc.
    Limin Liu, M.Sc.

    Limin completed her M.Sc. in Microbiology and Immunology from Zhengzhou University, and also obtained a CCRA certification from McMaster University. She has over 30 years of experience in both medical basic research and clinical research labs. Limin specializes in a variety of lab techniques such as Flow Cytometry, Engineering CAR-T cell Technology and Molecular Biological techniques.

  • Lan Chen, Ph.D.
    Lan Chen, Ph.D.

    Dr. Chen completed her Ph.D. studies in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Peking Union Medical College/Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. With 20 years of the academic and clinic research, she is highly experienced in immunotherapy and immunological assays. As a multi-task researcher with strong organization skills, she also focuses on details and accuracy to deliver reliable, reproducible, and high quality-data.

  • Mary Jo Smith, B.Sc., MLT.
    Mary Jo Smith, B.Sc., MLT. Laboratory Technician

    Mary Jo is a certified Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) with over 25 years of experience in Histology and Immunohistochemistry. Prior to running the John Mayberry Histology facility, she worked in a clinical pathology lab. Mary Jo’s vast experience and expertise in histology make her a critical asset to the facility, which is shown through the quality of the data generated.

  • Guillaume Paré, M.D., M.Sc., FRCPC, GMEL
    Guillaume Paré, M.D., M.Sc., FRCPC, GMEL Director

    Dr. Paré is a Medical Biochemist who completed a Master’s degree in Human Genetics at McGill University. Dr. Pare’s expertise in bioinformatics, high-throughput biology and genetic epidemiology lead him to found the Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory (GMEL).

  • Reina Ditta, M.Sc., GMEL
    Reina Ditta, M.Sc., GMEL Laboratory Manager

    Ms. Ditta received a Master’s of Science in Forensic Science from King’s College London. She joined GMEL in 2010 where she took on the role as a laboratory manager. She oversees the development of the facility and manages a large, multidisciplinary lab with genomics and proteomics capabilities.