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Krystal Jacques

Krystal Jacques completed her Master’s degree in the Institute of Medical Science department at the University of Toronto. For her Master’s she studied the embryonic origin of pancreatic stem cells under the supervision of Dr. Derek van der Kooy, where she developed an interest in both photography and science communication. She is currently building her own business as an artist. As a scientist turned artist, she hopes that she can tell stories through visual and written media. You can find her on Instagram @krystaljacques

Posts by: Krystal


A new one-and-done lifetime gene therapy treatment for fatal Hunter syndrome

Author: Krystal Jacques, 01/19/26

Hunter syndrome is one of the mucopolysaccharidoses, a group of lysosomal storage disorders caused by specific genetic mutations and missing enzymes. In Hunter syndrome, mutations in the X-linked iduronate-2-sulfatase (IDS) lead to deficiencies in the IDS enzyme, causing the accumulation of heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate within cells. The build-up of these sugars drives neurodegeneration, […]

Brain-computer interface could offer solution to people with motor neuron degeneration

Author: Krystal Jacques, 11/05/25

Spinal cord injury, stroke and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are all conditions that can disrupt the critical nervous system pathways responsible for controlling muscles. This frequently leads to a profound loss of motor function, such as weakness or paralysis. Elon Musk’s Neuralink has developed a wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) for those whose minds are intact, […]

Biodegradable electrodes stimulate neural precursor cells to expand and migrate

Author: Krystal Jacques, 05/29/25

Imagine a one-and-done treatment for stroke using the regenerative capacity of your brain. Tianhao Chen, Dr. Cindi Morshead’s lab, and Dr. Hani E. Naguib’s lab have developed a biodegradable electrode that can electrically stimulate neural precursor cells (NPCs). This procedure is effective because neurons are electrosensitive cells that can respond to electrical signals. Neurons’ electrosensitivity […]

The first pancreatic organoid with all pancreatic cell types

Author: Krystal Jacques, 04/03/25

The pancreas is an organ that is critical for the digestion of our food and for releasing hormones into the bloodstream, which helps regulate blood sugar levels. The three main types of cells responsible for making these functions happen are: endocrine cells, acinar cells and duct cells. You most likely have heard of beta cells […]

Freeze-thawing neural stem cells

Author: Krystal Jacques, 02/19/25

There are many ways the regenerative potential of cell transplantation therapy can be optimized to pave the route to the clinic. They include, but are not limited to, deciding which cells to transplant and looking at whether we should use fresh cells or cryopreserved cells. For example, there are different types of neural stem cells […]