In keeping with the theme of this seasonal edition, I sat down to interview an integral member of our Canadian immunology community here at the University of Toronto (UofT). Dr. Juan Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker was the UofT’s Department of Immunology Chair from 2012 to 2023. He has left a lasting legacy on our community, and here he recounts some of his prized memories and anecdotal wisdom along with his insight into the state of our field and the direction he sees us heading.
The Appeal of Canadian Immunology
Dr. Zúñiga-Pflücker graduated with his bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of Maryland, and then switched gears for his PhD in Genetics and Immunology at George Washington University. Although he initially wanted to study developmental biology, he found his passion in T-cell development through working in a lab at the National Institute of Health (NIH). I asked him what brought him to Canada after spending many years of schooling in the US, to which Dr. Zúñiga-Pflücker explained that Toronto was the city where his research niche was thriving. “I applied to many places but specifically UofT because I was interested in stem cell research and developmental immunology. UofT already had an established reputation in stem cell research and was an up-and-coming force in immunology research, so it made sense to join this academic community.”
Molding the Department into an Enhanced Version
The Department of Immunology aligned well with his research goals and was ready to cultivate his specific aims. After two joyous decades of running his lab right here in the Medical Sciences Building (MSB), Dr. Zúñiga-Pflücker was eager for a new venture – and that involved becoming the Chair of the department. When asked about his time as Chair and the goals he had planned, he mentioned that he had “many!” but the main goal was to nudge the departmental growth in specific directions: “We created strategic plans to revisit areas in our department that needed improvement and support aspects that were thriving. The graduate student experience needed some refined streamlining, and the research capacity of our department required growth. Lastly, we pushed to expand the clinical engagement of the department.” The department needed to start tapping into the surrounding hospital power more steadily. With ready access to hospital facilities, it was time to begin integrating the clinical side of immunology into research aims and think about bridging the gaps between research at MSB and the hospitals.
The Opportunities Are Intertwined in Solving the Challenges
On par with discussing the advancements made during his tenure as Chair, I brought up the question of any challenges he saw hindering our department and the field of immunology as a whole in Canada. By his reply, it was evident that the obstacles we face in Canadian immunology are luckily intertwined with ripening opportunities: “Canadian immunology still needs to make the jump from basic research to translation and commercialization. There are many opportunities to make new therapies and biologics but we have some catching up to do compared to the States. However, the opportunities are present and waiting for us to take on this challenge, which is the next step for Canadian immunology”. He commented that this does not take away from all the amazing research being done in Canada and here at UofT but rather should propel our course towards the impacts waiting to be made in real-world applications. It is an opportunity to gift our findings back to society and simultaneously continue the drive for discoveries.
Life as an ex-Chair
Although he is no longer the Chair, Dr. Zúñiga-Pflücker has not slowed down on his endeavours to move science forward. He has since joined multiple initiatives, such as the Canadian Society for Immunology (CSI), and in particular is participating in hosting the 2028 International Union of Immunological Societies conference in Toronto. He emphasized that this will be an important event to unite immunologists from across the globe in our tiny corner of the world, where UofT is unsurprisingly making important contributions to immunology, and help to bolster our funding and recognition to instigate even further meaningful research. When he isn’t coordinating an international event for the scientific community, he is busy at the forefront of translational immunology, pioneering his lab’s benchside discoveries into clinical applications through the company he co-founded, Notch Therapeutics. Dr. Zúñiga-Pflücker and his team made a startling discovery when he identified Notch signaling, an intracellular signaling pathway integral to T cell development, as a key factor in artificially producing therapeutic T cells. Additionally, Dr. Zúñiga-Pflücker is occupied with founding a new company, PROTGEN, that will concentrate on forming progenitor T cells from stem cells. “This is impactful for patients that lack a strong immune system such as cancer patients undergoing treatment, immunodeficient patients, and the elderly, because it helps to re-initiate T cell development.” Clearly, Dr. Zúñiga-Pflücker has found a way to link his scientific passion to the bedside. Of course, he also mentioned that in stepping down from his role as Chair, “[I] still run my lab, and am grateful for time to engage more with my team. Ultimately, you find things to fill your time with.”
Words of Wisdom for the Next Generation
When asked to impart advice for younger grad students looking to make a similar impact in our field, his main message was one of prudence and passion, “Ultimately, you’re in this for the science. So you should focus on your science because, at the end of the day, we are here to discover new phenomena and impact the field in this way. When you put all your efforts into your scientific research, even when it doesn’t feel productive as sometimes research is slow and presents you with hurdles and because otherwise, nothing will happen, then you will eventually find the opportunities to present your research and science in different platforms and translate your knowledge”. He emphasized that as researchers, we should follow our calling, and not get too ahead of ourselves but rather enjoy our present responsibilities and projects. He pointed out that at the same time, we should not limit our paths but rather be open-minded to new avenues to communicate and translate our research. At the beginning of our academic journeys, we will “have clear hoops to jump through, and milestones to reach such as undergraduate training and then graduate school and so on, so forth”, but these paths converge to a crossroad where the clear benchmarks end and we will “begin to set our own goals for achievement and what we wish to work towards.” Until then, this is your sign from Dr. Zúñiga-Pflücker to focus on your science and do what calls you, the rest will come.
Lastly, from our chat, it was clear that one of Dr. Zúñiga-Pflücker’s proudest achievements is cultivating an environment where graduate students felt supported to start new initiatives and activities. From IMMPress to IMMSpire, he feels grateful to be able to vicariously enjoy the fruits of our departmental labour with respect to progressing scientific communication and reaching the younger generations. After all, the University of Toronto is a distinguished driving force of Canadian immunology, where groundbreaking discoveries like insulin, stem cells, and fundamental immunology were made, and the effects of these student-led groups help to foster this academic community, keeping us on our toes and propagating our field to new and exciting opportunities.
Yinhan Dechi Castro
