Arnold Kristof News & Posts - McGill - Meakins-Christie Laboratories https://meakinsmcgill.com/category/faculty/arnold-kristof/ The Centre for Respiratory Research at McGill University and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre Fri, 27 Mar 2026 19:08:03 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://meakinsmcgill.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Meakins-Christie-logo-2_cropped5-150x150.jpg Arnold Kristof News & Posts - McGill - Meakins-Christie Laboratories https://meakinsmcgill.com/category/faculty/arnold-kristof/ 32 32 182904279 Sustaining Excellence: Supporting Breakthrough Research https://meakinsmcgill.com/2025/06/19/sustaining-excellence-supporting-breakthrough-research/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sustaining-excellence-supporting-breakthrough-research Thu, 19 Jun 2025 15:15:00 +0000 https://meakinsmcgill.com/?p=20773 Larry Lands, Arnold Kristof, Salman Qureshi, and Maziar Divagnahi receive funding from the Sustaining Excellence Grants Competition.

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]]> In Spring 2025, the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) launched the inaugural Sustaining Excellence Grants Program to support outstanding researchers whose projects ranked in the top 40% of Canadian Institutes of Health Research competitions but were not funded.

Developed in collaboration with the McGill University Health Centre Foundation, the Montreal General Hospital Foundation, and the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, this initiative provides critical bridge funding to help researchers maintain momentum, strengthen their proposals, and remain competitive in future national competitions.

Researchers from the RESP program were among the inaugural recipients, leading innovative projects in respiratory health, infectious diseases, and precision medicine:

  • Larry Lands is advancing prime editing approaches for cystic fibrosis, targeting genetic variants that do not respond to current therapies.
  • Arnold Kristof is investigating cell signaling pathways in lymphangioleiomyomatosis, a rare lung disease, to uncover new therapeutic targets.
  • Salman Qureshi is characterizing novel genes involved in host resistance to fungal infections, with potential to improve treatment strategies.
  • Maziar Divangahi is exploring trained immunity and lipid mediators (eicosanoids) to enhance immune responses against influenza A virus.

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]]> 20773 Health Matters: Bringing Awareness to Rare Diseases https://meakinsmcgill.com/2022/02/28/bringing-awareness-to-rare-diseases/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bringing-awareness-to-rare-diseases Mon, 28 Feb 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://b6mfjbip7n.wpdns.site/?p=12008 Arnold Kristof, MD, speaks with Tarah Schwartz on an MUHC Foundation's Health Matters podcast, discussing LAM and other rare diseases, and his hopes for future research in this area.

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]]> In recognition of Rare Diseases Day on February 28, the MUHC Foundation’s Tarah Schwartz speaks to Arnold Kristof, MD. Dr. Kristof explains that, in order to be considered rare, a disease must occur in fewer than 1 in 600,000 individuals; however, treatment of all the rare diseases combined take up a large proportion of healthcare resources.

Dr. Kristof’s research is focused on LAM (lymphangioleiomyomatosis), a rare and fatal disease that causes tumors to form in the lungs. These tumors release a substance that eventually destroys the lungs. Current treatments, discovered in the past ten years, do not work for many patients, and in any event only slow the progression of the disease. Transplants may also be a possibility.

His research is aimed at finding additional treatments for the disease, ways to kill the bad cells and to discover a cure. It involves the investigation of blood and biopsies donated by patients. Dr. Kristof is optimistic about the future as he has seen considerable scientific developments in recent years. As well, clinical networks now exist in North America and Europe, and patient-oriented organizations have been established to provide support and expertise to patients who have waited months or years for an accurate diagnosis. In fact, many of Dr. Kristof’s patients are self-referred.

Arnold Kristof, MD, Scientist at the RI-MUHC and member of the Meakins-Christie Laboratories and physician in the Respiratory Medicine Division and Critical Care Medicine at MUHC and McGill University.

Listen to the Podcast

Bringing awareness to rare diseases. MUHC Foundation Health Matters Podcast. February 27, 2022.

Web: http://bit.ly/3aQfvVQ
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/32HFxrc
Apple: https://apple.co/35NvItS

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]]> 12008 25 Seconds to Save Bella https://meakinsmcgill.com/2021/04/26/25-seconds-to-save-bella/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=25-seconds-to-save-bella Mon, 26 Apr 2021 12:00:00 +0000 https://meakinsmcgill.com/?p=9838 Dr. Kristof explains how the pediatric and adult hospitals worked together to save a patient with severe COVID-19.

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]]> Dr. Arnold Kristof was recently interviewed by La Presse and CTV News about a recent experience working in the Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital. He shares how the pediatric and adult hospitals came together to save a pregnant woman diagnosed with a severe form of COVID-19, and to deliver her child.

25 Seconds to Save Bella is a piece about a woman in intensive care who experienced severe symptoms of COVID-19 while pregnant. She was having a lot of difficulty breathing. The baby was pressing on her diaphragm, adding to her breathing difficulties. With the adult and pediatric hospitals working together, Dr. Kristof and the team succeeded in saving the mom and successfully delivered her daughter as well. No other hospital has succeeded at what this team of dedicated medical professionals at the MUHC accomplished.

Teamwork and trust in the other members of the team are also essential elements for success.

During the pandemic, Dr. Kristof has continued his research program at the Meakins while working in the MUHC Intensive Care Unit.

Read the articles here:

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