Casandra Mangroo

Casandra Mangroo is the current VP of Science at BenchSci. Casandra has also worked as a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Toronto in the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology from January 2009 to February 2017. There, they worked on a thesis project concerning the distinct structural features of human enteric adenoviruses 40 and 41 as determinants affecting entry into host cells.

Mangroo is certified in chemical safety and biosafety for work in biosafety level 2 environments. Casandra is skilled in cell culture techniques, including HEK293 (human embryonic kidney cells), 293V cells (2V6.11 clone), A549 (airway epithelium), and Caco-2 (human colon adenocarcinoma) cells (and differentiation using conventional and accelerated methods). Mangroo is also trained in virus propagation and purification by cesium chloride gradients, and has worked with human adenovirus types 5, 7, 35, 40, 41, recombinant EGFP adenovirus, and clinical conjunctivitis isolates.

In addition to their work with viruses, Mangroo is also experienced in protein analysis by SDS-PAGE and subsequent staining by Coomassie blue and silver staining, and performing western blotting. Casandra is responsible for training and supervising fifteen undergraduate summer/research project students since September 2009, and has provided demonstration on virus purification to third-year undergraduate students (MGY 376/379). Mangroo has also taught MGY376/379 students negative staining technique for transmission electron microscopy, and operated electron microscope to visualize samples.

Mangroo's contributions have been acknowledged in a paper published by Leung and Brown in 2011 entitled "Block in Entry of Enteric Adenovirus Type 41 in HEK293 Cells."

Casandra Mangroo has a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Toronto in Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology. Casandra also has a H.BSc from the University of Toronto in Health & Disease Specialist. Casandra is certified from the University of Toronto Office of Environmental Health and Safety in Principles and Practices of Biosafety, Laboratory Chemical Safety, and Laboratory Biosafety.

Casandra Mangroo reports to Tom Leung, Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer.