An Interview with Troy Ketela
An interview with Troy Ketela, PhD., Manager of the Princess Margaret Genomics Centre at UHN.
Tell us about your professional background.
After earning a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from McGill University in 1999, I shifted to the commercial biotech and drug discovery industry, starting as a postdoctoral researcher and advancing to senior scientific positions. I later moved to Toronto to support my spouse's academic career. Due to limited biotech opportunities, I joined academia with Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) funded role promoting high-throughput RNAi. Through collaborations at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, I joined PMGC in 2015 and became platform leader in 2018.
What are your roles & responsibilities at the PMGC?
Single-cell and spatial 'omics have grown extensively in recent years, impacting cell biology and genomics, and have become our most extensive service type. Due to high demands, I had to give up laboratory work last year, which was challenging because I loved using new instruments and assays. A significant portion of my time is devoted to meeting with clients and offering expert advice on the appropriate technologies and strategies for their projects and the specific tissue or cell types they are dealing with.
As the manager at PMGC, I handle daily operations, which entail regular meetings with staff to support their work and professional development, resolving sample processing challenges, assessing new technologies and determining their implementation, consulting with clients for unexpected sample results, and continually monitoring financial performance and expansion plans. I also co-define the strategy for the facility and broader genomic activities at UHN and with our partners, such as OICR.
How does PMGC help the research community advance their research?
Over the past 5 years, PMGC has primarily focused on groundbreaking cell biology and genomics technologies. This focus has established PMGC as a leading provider of these emergent technologies, offering a wide range of services that greatly benefit internal researchers within the UHN network, and an increasing number of external clients from Canada and other countries are seeking us out.
Teamwork is essential to research. How does the PMGC enable collaboration?
We maintain a collaborative approach with researchers in testing and developing new techniques, assays, and processing complex tissue types. In numerous instances, we engage in cost-sharing arrangements for these ventures, as the mutual benefits derived from the acquired knowledge make it beneficial for all parties involved.
What are some of PMGC's goals?
PMGC is at the forefront of the rapidly growing field of genomics technology—and we are bringing these advanced technologies to the UHN research community. Our commitment goes beyond just providing state-of-the-art services, as we also strive to find cost-effective solutions for the assays we offer. We understand the challenges faced by smaller labs with limited resources, and we are dedicated to alleviating that burden by providing affordable genomics solutions.
For more information on PMGC, please visit: www.pmgenomics.ca