- Congratulations to Dr. Simon Rousseau and Dr. Amin Emad on receiving seed funding from the McGill initiative in Computational Medicine ResearchMatch competition. The ResearchMatch program of the McGill initiative in Computational Medicine (MiCM) was developed in an effort to better connect life science and clinical researchers with colleagues focused on data sciences. Their project will examine Artificial Intelligence-informed molecular profiling of the frequency of pulmonary exacerbations in Cystic Fibrosis. Read more here. (July 2019)
- Congratulations to Dorival Martins Jr, postdoctoral fellow in Biochemistry, McGill University (supervisor: Dr. Dao Nguyen) for his Relève étoile Jacques-Genest award from the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) for the month of July. Winning article: Superoxide dismutase activity confers (p)ppGpp-mediated antibiotic tolerance to stationary-phase Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (July 2019)
- The 30th annual Respiratory Research Day featured 54 oral and poster presentations. Thanks to all our participants for attending and presenting your research. The winners for best oral presentation were: Lauren Tracey (MSc Student with Dr. Dennis Jensen) and Megan Hammell (MSc Student with Dr. Anne-Marie Lauzon). The winners for best poster presentation were: Jonathon Campbell (Clinical Fellow with Dr. Kevin Schwartzman), Kim Tran (MSc Student with Dr. Maziar Divangahi), Lisa Hennemann (MSc Student with Dr. Dao Nguyen), Erwan Pernet (PDF with Dr. Maziar Divangahi) and Vanessa Moarbes (PhD Student with Dr. Elizabeth Fixman). Congratulations to all our winners! (June 2019)
- Lisa Hennemann (MSc Student with Dr. Dao Nguyen) won an award for best poster presentation at the annual MIMM Graduate Research Day. (May 2019)
- Dr. Erwan Pernet (PDF with Dr. Maziar Divangahi) is lead author on a new study published in Nature Microbiology. Dr. Pernet and colleagues have identified a new role for the lipid mediator Leukotriene B4 in the lung. They show that the LTB4 molecule is capable of not only reducing collateral tissue damage caused by immune responses but also enhancing host survival. These novel findings have promising clinical implications in the near future for the treatment of flu. Read the press release here. Read the article here. (May 2019)
- Congratulations to Dr. Julien Malet (PDF with Dr. Dao Nguyen) on receiving a FRQS Postdoctoral Fellowship award for his project entitled “Etude du cycle intracellulaire de Pseudomonas aeruginosa et de son rôle dans la fibrose kystique”. (May 2019)
- Congratulations to Dr. Eva Kaufmann (PDF with Dr. Maziar Divangahi) on receiving a FRQS Postdoctoral Fellowship award for her project entitled “Reprogrammation des cellules souches par le BCG: une nouvelle approche pour le dévelopmment d’un vaccin contre la tuberculose.” (May 2019)
- Congratulations to Dr. Nargis Khan (PDF with Dr. Maziar Divangahi) on receiving a CIHR Fellowship for her project entitled “An IFN-iron axis reprograms hematopoietic stem cells to generate trained immunity” as well as a FRQS Postdoctoral Fellowship award for her project entitled “Impact du microbiote intestinal dans la defense de l’hôte contre la tuberculose”. (May 2019)
- Congratulations to Ms. Amanda Bianco (MEng with Dr. Anne-Marie Lauzon) on receiving a FRQNT Masters Award for her project entitled “Contrôle des tissus au comportement non-linéaire et viscoélastique pour le développement d’appareil biomédical”. (May 2019)
- Congratulations to the following FRQS 2019-2020 Chercheurs Boursiers and Chercheurs-Boursiers Cliniciens Awardees: Dr. Deborah Assayag (Junior 1), Dr. Maziar Divangahi (Senior), Dr. Nicole Ezer (Junior 1), and Dr. Benjamin Smith (Junior 2). (May 2019)
- Congratulations to Megan Hammell (first year MSc student with Dr. Anne-Marie Lauzon) who won FIRST PLACE for her oral presentation during the 5th Biological and Biomedical Engineering Symposium at McGill University. (May 2019)
- Dr. James Martin and Dr. Shawn Aaron received a Research Leadership Award from CTS at the CRC 2019 in recognition of their leadership, service and contributions to the field of respiratory medicine and research. Read more here. (April 2019)
- Dr. Sabah Hussain has been appointed a Distinguished James McGill Professor in recognition of his exceptional work and outstanding achievements. This Professorship is McGill University’s way of recognizing respected scholars and their valued contributions. (May 2019).
- Dr. Dick Menzies, Director of the Respiratory Epidemiology Unit at McGill and McGill’s World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in TB Research, has been named recipient of the 2019 CIHR-ICRH/CTS Distinguished Lecturer Award in Respiratory Sciences. Read more here. (April 2019).
- Dr. Sabah Hussain is part of a new research team funded by CIHR. The team is led by Dr. José Morais (MeDIC program) and will investigate the metabolic and molecular mechanisms underpinning inactivity-induced muscle loss and the underlying protective effects of an exercise countermeasure. Read more here. (April 2019)
- New publication in Mucosal Immunology by Drs. Irah King, Maziar Divangahi, and Dick Menzies showed that anti-tuberculosis drugs caused changes to gut microbiota – the diverse community of microbes living our intestines – and increased susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Read more here. (March 2019)
- Congratulations to the following CIHR Project Grant Recipients from the Fall 2018 Competition! Dr. Carolyn Baglole: Immunological consequences of inhaled cannabis and selected cannabinoids. Dr. Elizabeth Fixman: STAT6-dependent control of innate immunity as a target for therapeutic intervention in asthma. Dr. Sabah Hussain: Regulation of skeletal muscle function by PINK-1-Parkin mitophagy pathway. Dr. Arnold Kristof: Impact of Protein Nutrition in Critically-ill Patients. Dr. Benjamin Smith: A genome-wide association study of dysanapsis. Dr. Andrea Benedetti: Diagnostic Accuracy of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for Detecting Major Depression: An Updated Systematic Review and Independent Participant Data Meta-analysis. (January 2019)
- Read how Meakins and RESP members, together with the McGill International TB Centre are moving towards the WHO’s goal of eliminating TB by 2030. Confronting a Killer – Med e-News. (January 2019)
- Dr. Richard Menzies was awarded the 2019 CIHR-ICRH/CTS Distinguished Lecture in Respiratory Sciences. The Plenary Session & Award Presentation will occur Friday April 12, 2019 at the Canadian Respiratory Conference in Ottawa. Title: Challenge and Opportunity in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Tuberculosis. (January 2019)
