Frontline COVID-19 research, fitness, and a new chapter in an academic career: a Chat with Dr. Alana Ogata (University of Toronto)

Dr. Alana Ogata, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor jointly appointed in the Department of Chemistry and Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). Throughout her academic career, she has received seven fellowships and published 19 papers in high-impact journals, such as NanoLetters and JACS, providing important contributions to the fields of electrochemical biosensors, non-classical nucleation and growth, and disease diagnostics. As an NSF Graduate Research Fellow under Dr. Reg Penner at UC Irvine, she developed a new electrochemical biosensor named the virus bioresistor (VBR), capable of label-free and rapid protein detection for point-of-care applications. During a four-month NSF GROW fellowship in South Korea, Dr. Ogata fabricated highly-porous carbon nanofibers via electrospinning and integrated the nanofibers with the VBR platform to develop a tear-based glucose sensor, as described in Analytical Chemistry. In her six-month postdoctoral position with Dr. Joe Patterson at UC-Irvine, I learned and executed cryotransmission electron microscopy (cryoTEM) to study the formation of protein-metal-organic-framework (p-MOF) composites, earning a front-cover featured publication in JACS. As an NIH T32 postdoctoral fellow at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, she led a project on the detection of COVID-19 viral antigens in collaboration with researchers at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital. Within a six-month period, she co-wrote and received a grant for COVID-19 research, developed ultrasensitive viral antigen assays, tested COVID-19 patient samples, and published two manuscripts – one as first author in Clinical Chemistry. In addition, Dr. Ogata initiated and executed a study on vaccinated participants and led the design of sample collection, assay development, and sample analysis in collaboration with researchers at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. This study resulted in a first author publication in Clinical Infectious Diseases, and presents the first evidence of SARS-CoV-2 protein production from mRNA vaccination. Outside of lab, she enjoys working out and enjoying happy hour with friends. You can follow Dr. Ogata on Twitter @OgataAlana. 

Link to Dr. Ogata's Faculty Research Page: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/cps/people/alana-ogata 

Prof. Ogata's Favorites: 

Favorite Workout Song: "Get Me Bodied - (Move Your Body rework)" by Beyonce 

Favorite snacks: Popcorn and a matcha latte 

Favorite places to visit in Canada: Downtown Toronto, visiting the fun bars, fun restaurants 

What's on her Watchlist?: Modern Family;  The Chair 

Chemistea is a chemistry and science podcast founded by Lucy Yang (she/her), currently a fourth-year undergraduate at UC Irvine, studying chemistry and biological sciences. Some of the most famous scientific collaborations and discoveries were born from a conversation over tea, and on her podcast, Lucy aims to combine her love of talking with her love of sharing and hearing stories—stories about others' passion for science, their journeys, and any and all fun shenanigans in between. You can follow Lucy on twitter @isolucyine. She is also the founder of The Kawaii Chemist, a shop where you can find cute chemistry stickers and merch, where 100% of profit goes to charity. You can check out The Kawaii Chemist here, and you can donate to support Kawaii Chemist and the Chemistea podcast here. Thank you listening!