Presented by McGill University, the award honours individuals whose work creates lasting impact both within and beyond the university community. Dr. Ahmad Khan received the academic staff award for his longstanding commitment to improving respiratory health and tuberculosis care in Nunavik through community-driven clinical care, research, and capacity building.

Since 2013, Dr. Khan has served as the region’s only respirologist, providing both in-person care and remote clinical support to healthcare teams across Nunavik. His work integrates innovative approaches, including artificial intelligence–based chest X-ray analysis for tuberculosis detection, alongside training initiatives developed collaboratively with Inuit communities. Equally important, his efforts emphasize partnership, local research capacity building, and community-led knowledge sharing.

This recognition reflects the importance of equitable, collaborative, and culturally grounded approaches to healthcare and research. We congratulate Dr. Khan on this well-deserved honour and thank him for his continued leadership and dedication to improving respiratory health outcomes in northern and Indigenous communities.

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McGill honours equity leaders and community builders. Recipients of annual awards recognized for advancing inclusion, reconciliation and access to legal support across campus and beyond. by Neale McDevitt. McGill Reporter. May 21, 2026.

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McGill University received $18.1 million in federal funding to support 16 Canada Research Chairs, including six new appointments and 10 renewals. The funding will help drive innovative research across diverse fields.

The Canada Research Chairs Program, a tri-agency initiative supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, invests approximately $311 million annually to recruit and retain leading researchers across Canada.

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McGill awarded 16 new or renewed Canada Research Chairs. From fundamental physics to child well-being, McGill researchers advance discovery across disciplines. McGill News. May 13, 2026. by Robin Koning.

Government of Canada invests over $168 million in Canada’s research ecosystem. Press Release for Spring 2026 Recipients (cycle 2025-1). May 13, 2026.

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Molecular basis of Type IV pili-mediated Pseudomonas aeruginosa – host interactions
Shuaiqi Guo and Dao Nguyen

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major cause of hospital-acquired and chronic infections, known for its ability to resist many treatments and persist in vulnerable patients. This project focuses on how the bacterium uses hair-like structures called Type IV pili to attach to host cells—an essential first step in establishing infection.By focusing on the pilus tip protein PilY1, the team aims to uncover key mechanisms that drive infection and inform future strategies to combat hard‑to‑treat diseases.

The team has been awarded $40,000 to support this innovative, early-stage research.

The post CRBS-MI4 Blue-Sky Seed Funding Results appeared first on Meakins-Christie Laboratories.

Launched in November 2025, this competition supports bold, innovative research advancing our understanding of infection across three key areas: pandemic preparedness, antimicrobial resistance, and microbes that shape human health.

Reprogramming Gut Bacteria into Living Vaccines
Lucienne Tritten & Irah King

Many infections begin in the gut, yet most vaccines are designed to work in the bloodstream rather than at the body’s mucosal surfaces. This project explores a groundbreaking approach: using harmless gut bacteria as “living vaccine factories.” By reprogramming naturally occurring bacteria to produce tiny vaccine-carrying particles directly in the intestine, this strategy could provide continuous, localized protection right where infections start. If successful, this work could pave the way for low-cost, easily deployable vaccines built from the body’s own microbiome.

Tracking the Spread of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Hospitals
Yves Longtin & Dao Nguyen

Carbapenems are among the last-resort antibiotics used to treat severe infections. However, resistance to these drugs is rising rapidly worldwide, including in Quebec, posing a serious threat to patient care. This project investigates how these resistant bacteria spread in hospitals: between patients or within individuals through mobile genetic elements called plasmids. In the first Canadian study of its kind, the team will track how these bacteria evolve and spread among patients at the Jewish General Hospital. Their findings will help inform more effective infection prevention strategies, both at the hospital and patient level.

Each team will receive $150,000 to support their research over up to 24 months.

This round of funding was made possible through the generous support of the Pathy Family Foundation and MI4.

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2026 MI4-Pathy Seed Fund Grant (SFG) – Round 7. MI4 Website.

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Through interviews with community members and healthcare workers, researchers found that while Inuit strongly value health and want to eliminate TB, current care systems often create additional challenges. Patients frequently face travel away from their communities, long periods of isolation, language barriers, and limited access to culturally safe care. Gaps in communication also contribute to fear, stigma, and uncertainty around the disease.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, Inuit participants are calling for care that is community-driven, culturally grounded, and responsive to their needs. Their recommendations include increasing Inuit leadership in health services, expanding local access to care, improving communication, and reducing stigma through education and support.

This work underscores an important message: improving health outcomes requires not only medical solutions, but also listening to communities and designing care systems that truly serve them.

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Inuit experiences of and expertise on the 21st-century tuberculosis epidemic in Nunavik, Quebec: a qualitative community-based participatory study. Geboe B, Sandy G, Tooktoo D, Tukalak S, Law S, White-Dupuis S, Nappaaluk Q, Aliqu N, Quananack E, Emudluk M Sr, Watt L, Mangiok P, Dunn-Suen A, Yaaka M, MacDonald NI, Khan FA. CMAJ. 2026 Apr 5;198(13):E474-E485.

Read a Commentary About the Publication

Promoting reconciliation through research. Orr PH. CMAJ. 2026 Apr 5;198(13):E508-E509.

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Comment venir à bout de l’épidémie de tuberculose au Nunavik ? La Presse. par Katrine Desautels. 6 avril 2026.

Under-resourced tuberculosis care causes hardship: In new study, Nunavik Inuit call for person-centered approaches. Led by a majority Inuit and First Nations research team at The Institute and the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, the study highlights the experiences and perspectives of Inuit communities affected by the current tuberculosis crisis. The Institute News. April 7, 2026.

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Backed by the River Philip and Trottier Family Foundations and the McGill University Health Centre Foundation, this initiative helps researchers maintain momentum, refine their proposals, and strengthen future applications.

This year’s funded projects span a wide range of impactful areas, from lung health and vaping-related disease to infectious diseases, chronic conditions, and innovative therapies. By bridging funding gaps, the program ensures that promising discoveries continue to move forward and contribute to better health outcomes.

Congratulations to everyone, especially our RESP program members:

• Carolyn Baglole is investigating how vaping impairs the lung’s natural defense systems, contributing to respiratory disease.
• Elizabeth Fixman is exploring sex-specific immune responses in the lung, with implications for allergic airway diseases like asthma.
• Tania Janaudis-Ferreira is leading a web-based exercise and education program for mild COPD, improving access to care and self-management tools.

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Sustaining Excellence competition supports top-ranked researchers. Outstanding CIHR applicants maintain research momentum thanks to funding support from generous donors. The Institute News. March 19, 2026.

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Developed by a team led by Sara Mahshid at McGill University, Dao Nguyen of the Meakins-Christie Labs, and Cedric Yansouni of the RI-MUHC, QolorPhAST uses nano-engineered colour-changing sensors that respond to bacterial metabolism. When paired with machine-learning image analysis, the system rapidly identifies both the bacterial species and its antibiotic susceptibility without the need for overnight cultures.

In blind testing on clinical urine samples, the device showed high accuracy compared to gold-standard laboratory methods, while delivering results in a fraction of the time. Designed to be low-cost, portable, and easy to use, QolorPhAST could support faster, more precise treatment decisions for infections such as urinary tract and sexually transmitted infections.

The team is now working toward commercialization. As antimicrobial resistance continues to rise globally, innovations like this may represent a critical step toward preserving the effectiveness of existing antibiotics.

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McGill researchers develop quick test that stands to curb antimicrobial resistance. System that can identify bacteria in less than 40 minutes could help physicians prescribe the appropriate antibiotics, amid ongoing urgency of antimicrobial resistance crisis. McGill Newsroom. February 4, 2026.

McGill researchers, including scientists at The Institute, develop rapid test to curb antimicrobial resistance. System that can identify bacteria in less than 40 minutes could help physicians prescribe the appropriate antibiotics amid the ongoing antimicrobial resistance crisis. The Institute News. February 13, 2026.

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Ultra-rapid nanoplasmonic colorimetry in microfluidics for antimicrobial susceptibility testing directly from specimens. Jalali M, AbdElFatah T, Del Real Mata C, I Hosseini I, Yedire SG, McKay GA, Corsini R, Siavash Moakhar R, Shieh H, Reszetnik G, Hamidi SV, Yansouni CP, Nguyen D, Mahshid S. Nat Nanotechnol. 2026 Feb 2. doi: 10.1038/s41565-025-02075-z.

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Deborah Assayag (Priority Announcement)
The Longitudinal Use of Oscillometry in Interstitial Lung Diseases

Jonathon Campbell
Co-Investigators: Benjamin Smith, Kevin Schwartzman, Dick Menzies, Andrea Benedetti
Functional Outcomes, Lung health, and Livelihood Outcomes among people With Tuberculosis (FOLLOW-TB): a pan-Canadian prospective cohort study

Maziar Divangahi
Harnessing the power of trained immunity in disease tolerance against influenza virus

Elizabeth Fixman (Priority Announcement)
Sex-specific mechanisms by which environmental triggers promote durable changes to the lung to exacerbate type 2 innate and adaptive immunity

Irah King
Mechanisms of tissue-resident T cell activation for intestinal host defense

Larry Lands (Co-Principal Investigator)
Nominated Principal Investigator: Juan Ianowski (University of Saskatchewan)
Function of pulmonary ionocytes and club cells in human airway and their contribution to cystic fibrosis lung disease

Larry Lands (Co-Principal Investigator)
Nominated Principal Investigator: Sze Man Tse (Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine)
Predicting biologic therapy response in children with severe asthma: the Medication response and Asthma Therapy in CHildren with severe Asthma (MATCHA) Study

Sushmita Pamidi
Co-Investigators: Andrea Benedetti, John Kimoff
Sleep-Disordered Breathing During Pregnancy and Long-Term Postpartum Blood Pressure Pattern

Bryan Ross
Co-Investigators: Jean Bourbeau, Jun Ding, Sabah Hussain, Larry Lands
Enhancing the Clinical Benefits of COPD Chronic Management: The SUPplementation with URolithin-A during Pulmonary Rehabilitation in COPD (SUPRA-COPD) Trial

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Provincially, reported TB cases reached 516 in 2025, well above pre-pandemic levels, with the highest numbers in Montreal and Nunavik. While TB is not highly contagious, it can cause serious, lasting health effects if not detected and treated early. Symptoms may include a prolonged cough, fever, night sweats, fatigue, and weight loss. Treatment typically requires several months of antibiotics, and most patients recover when therapy is followed as prescribed.

Dr. Ahmad Khan emphasizes that the resurgence of TB reflects structural gaps in prevention, detection, and access to care, particularly affecting people facing migration challenges, housing insecurity, or limited insurance coverage. He notes that universal, fully funded TB care is both more equitable and more cost-effective than responding to outbreaks after they occur.

As Dr. Ahmad Khan puts it, “Montreal is really where global tuberculosis meets local realities.” His clinical leadership and research underscore why sustained investment in TB services matters, for vulnerable populations and for public health across Quebec.

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Tuberculosis cases rising in Montreal and other regions of Quebec. CTV News. by Daniel J. Rowe. January 17, 2026

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About the project: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a serious complication of autoimmune diseases that causes lung scarring, breathing problems, and reduced lifespan. Current treatments are often ineffective because ILD is rare and highly variable between patients. Our research aims to identify simple blood-based markers that can help diagnose ILD earlier and guide more personalized treatments. We are testing whether a specific immune cell marker can predict which patients will benefit from a medication called rituximab. By combining clinical data with advanced genetic and protein analysis, we aim to improve care for people with ILD and develop better, individualized therapies.

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D2R Clinical Research and Development (CRD) funding program. November 26, 2025 D2R Newsletter

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