As a PhD candidate in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Gonzalez scans the immune system of bats for new ways to combat emerging diseases. She is working towards her dream of being a disease detective.
USask graduate student Victoria Gonzalez is looking for new ways to combat emerging diseases by studying bat immune systems.
"A lot of my work is fundamental science, or trying to get down to the nitty gritty," said Gonzalez. "Once I identify a mechanism of the bat immune system that I am interested in, I want to see what kind of impacts a bat-derived virus will have on it."
While some of these viruses are safely handled in level 2 labs, Gonzalez often must suit up to deal with some heavy-hitters like MERS Coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2 at the level 3 lab in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO).
"Level 3 work takes a lot out of you and the days are extremely long," said Gonzalez "What takes me maybe an hour in the level 2 lab can take up to three hours in level 3."
Gonzalez works with supervisor Dr. Arinjay Banerjee (PhD) to try and understand what makes the bat immune systems stand apart. Like humans, bats are mammals, and our immune systems have many overlapping features, but, unlike humans, bats have been around for a very long time.
"Bats evolved over 64 million years ago and we believe that this has given them ample time to adapt their immune responses to better tolerate viral infections," said Gonzalez.
Through her work, Gonzalez is harnessing these adaptations as potential therapeutics for the next big pathogen. Her research focuses on one crucial immune system response that humans and bats share, digging deep into specific proteins that have anti-viral activity.
Volunteer trips abroad sparked Gonzalez's passion for infectious diseases, leading her to a microbiology and immunology degree. During her undergrad she explored the immune system's response to foreign invaders and the mechanisms that keep these threats at bay. Her honours project also introduced her to immunotherapies for diseases like ovarian cancer. But it wasn't until her master's degree that Gonzalez learned more about the interconnectedness of animal, human and environmental health known more broadly as One Health.
"I did my master's in Europe and learned at three different academic institutions. In Spain, I ended up working in the veterinary school and that's when I learned not only about diseases that affect agricultural animals, but how these diseases make their way into humans," said Gonzalez.
"I want to be there when something new emerges and try and figure out where it comes from and how it works."
Victoria GonzalezLast Updated: February 4, 2025
Gonzalez is taking her love of One Health a step further, acting as chair of USask's One Health Student Committee. Through this role, Gonzalez helped facilitate USask's first One Health Symposium hosted by the One Health Signature Area in November 2024.
When she's not in the lab or chairing committees, Gonzalez is helping lead several science outreach initiatives aimed at high school students. These events use colourful experiments to illustrate how microbes spread and highlight the importance of vaccines and other preventative measures.
"It's really fun to do these outreach programs because kids have so many questions about what we do in the lab," said Gonzalez.
At the end of her PhD journey, Gonzalez plans to branch out to explore work in government or industry and wants to work at the front lines of infectious disease prevention.
"Since my undergrad I've been trying to get a wide variety of qualifications and techniques to hopefully one day be a part of a team that goes to look at that next big virus," said Gonzalez. "I want to be there when something new emerges and try and figure out where it comes from and how it works."
For more information
105 Administration Place
Saskatoon Saskatchewan
Canada S7N 5A2
www.usask.ca
