Members

Robert E.W. Hancock

Professor, Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Science
Director, CMDR

Pathogenomics. Antibiotic action and resistance mechanisms. Outer membranes of Gram negative bacteria, especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides: Mechanisms of action, development as novel antimicrobials and role in innate immunity.

Yossef Av-Gay

Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, Associate Member, Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, Associate Member, Division of Respiratory Medicine, UBC-VGH
  • Host pathogen interactions in TB,
  • The role of Protein kinases and phosphatases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
  • Low molecular weight thiols in bacteria
  • Targeting intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis for TB drug development.
  • Novel therapies against infectious lung diseases.

Fiona Brinkman

Professor, MBB Dept. (Adjunct, School of Computing Science and Faculty of Health Sciences), Simon Fraser University. Associate member, UBC Centre for Disease Control and CMDR.

Developing and applying bioinformatic resources to better track infectious diseases using genomic data, and improve prediction of new vaccine/drug targets. A primary aim is to develop more sustainable, integrated approaches for infectious disease control, however the methods are also being applied to aid allergy and environmental research.

Kelly L Brown

Assistant Professor, Division of Rheumatology, Dept. of Pediatrics, UBC Investigator, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute

Research program aims to improve assessment and management of childhood rheumatic disease by identification and incorporation of sensitive, subclinical (cellular/molecular) measures of inflammatory/immune activity into current clinical scores of disease activity.

Julian Davies

Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology

New approaches to small molecule discovery; The therapeutic activities of natural clays; an approach to a new pharmacopeia

B. Brett Finlay

Peter Wall Distinguished Professor, Michael Smith Laboratories, and Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Dept. Microbiology and Immunology

Understanding how microbes interact with their host to cause health or disease, including enteric diseases and the microbiota. Wikipedia Page

Soren Gannt

Associate Professor of Pediatrics

My lab conducts cohort and animal studies of cytomegalovirus infection to better understand the determinants of viral transmission and inform vaccine design. In addition, I conduct clinical studies and human vaccine trials aimed at the prevention of CMV infection and disease.

Michael Gold

Department Head, Professor, Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology

Our goal is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that control B cell activation, with the aim of identifying new targets for treating B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases and B cell malignancies. We use fluorescence microscopy, single-particle tracking, super-resolution microscopy, and mathematical modeling to understand how cytoskeletal dynamics, B cell receptor (BCR) mobility within the plasma membrane, and the spatial organization of membrane proteins regulate BCR signaling and set the threshold for B cell activation.

Cara Haney

Assistant Professor, Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology and Michael Smith Labs
  1. Uncovering how microbes, including P. fluorescens, can colonize a host despite the presence of an intact immune system.
  2. Identifying plant genes that shape microbiome community.
  3. Identifying bacterial and plant genes that affect the functional outputs of the microbiome.

François Jean

Associate Professor, Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology Co-Director, Canadian Network of Scientific Platforms (CNSP) (2016-2019) Team Leader, NCE IC-IMPACTS Grant in Next Generation Molecular Diagnostics for Emerging Viral Diseases Team Leader, CIHR Grant in Anti-Flavivirus Drug Discovery

Uncovering new host-directed therapeutic avenues for emerging and re-emerging human viral diseases of major public health concern in Canada and around the world: An interdisciplinary research approach at the interface of molecular virology, quantitative mass-spectrometry, and bioimaging.  Next Generation Molecular Diagnostics For Emerging Viral Diseases.   UBC Experts Guide

Pauline Johnson

Professor, Microbiology and Immunology

We are interested in the function of innate immune cells in lung inflammation and its resolution. In particular, we want understand how myeloid cells (monocytes and macrophages) cause and/or protect against lung infection, inflammation and fibrosis. We are also interested in the contributions  of monocytes and macrophages to cancer metastasis in the lung and how interactions of immune cells with the extracellular matrix regulates their function.

Paul Keown

Professor, Medicine

Immune response in transplantation and autoimmune disease, and ranges from molecular genetics to healthcare economics.

Tobias Kollman

Professor of Pediatrics Head (interim), Division of Infectious Diseases
  • systems vaccinology in early life
  • microbiome directing early life immune ontogeny

James Kronstad

Professor, Michael Smith Laboratories, and the Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology

The Kronstad laboratory studies the virulence mechanisms of fungal pathogens of humans and plants.  The human pathogens under investigation include Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, which cause meningitis in immunocompromised people such as HIV/AIDS patients. The Kronstad laboratory uses transcriptomic, proteomic and molecular genetic approaches to characterize virulence traits.

Hannu S. Larjava

Professor, Faculty of Dentistry, Head, Dept. of Oral Biological & Medical Sciences, Chair, Division of Periodontics and Dental Hygiene

Keratinocyte integrins, periodontal disease, wound healing.

Amee Manges

Associate Professor, School of Population and Public Health

My research group asks epidemiologic questions about how communities of microorganisms that normally live within us (our microbiome or microbiota) are involved in the development and maintenance of health. Our group also works on the relationship between the Escherichia coli that cause infections outside of the intestine (e.g., urinary tract or bloodstream infections) and food safety.

Linda Matsuuchi

Professor, Dept. of Zoology, Life Sciences Institute (LSI), CELL and Infection, Inflammation & Immunity Research Groups in the LSI

Intracellular signaling by the antigen receptor on B-lymphocytes in normal and cancer cells; cytoskeletal changes important during the development of B-lymphocytes and in the immune response.  Gap Junction protein biology.

Robert McMaster

Professor , Dept. of Medical Genetics

Immunogenetics and Molecular Immunology.

Muhammad Morshed

Clinical Professor, Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Microbiologist, BCCDC

His research focuses on improving our epidemiological understanding and finding better ways of diagnosing and monitoring zoonotic and emerging pathogens. In particular, Dr. Moshed is recognized by the national and international research community for his expertise on Lyme disease and syphilis. To study in this area, he uses both serological and molecular tools in the laboratory and leads field work to study pathogens in their cycles in mice, ticks and mosquitoes (vectors of zoonotic diseases).

David Patrick

Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine

Communicable Disease Control, Antimicrobial Resistance, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Linking Metagenomics and Transcriptomics to Etiological Discovery in Idiopathic Diseases

Neil Reiner

Professor and Research Director, Division of Infectious Diseases; Director, The Immunity and Infection Research Centre (IIRC)

My laboratory is concerned with host defense against intracellular infection and how intracellular microbes -such as leishmania- disrupt cellular functions to favour their survival.

Kirk Schultz

Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics
  • Immune system
  • Childhood leukemia
  • Blood and marrow transplantation
  • Tumour immunology

Laura Sly

Associate Professor, Dept. of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology

Identifying and validating novel immunotherapeutic approaches to treat inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Expertise in monocyte/macrophage biology and are trying to identify targetable mechanisms by which we can reduce macrophage inflammatory responses that contribute to inflammation in IBD, and to amend macrophage activation so that macrophages can be used as an anti-inflammatory immune therapy to treat inflammation in IBD.

Ted Steiner

Professor and Associate Head, Division of Infectious Diseases; Associate Member, Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology

Our lab studies intestinal immunity: how the body responds to bacterial infections of the gut, and how these responses can both protect and harm the host. The goal is to develop new diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic tools to combat C. difficile infection, inflammatory bowel disease, and other important human diseases.

Natalie Strynadka

Professor of Biochemistry

Antibiotic resistance has become a global health problem in both clinical and community settings.

Our lab is interested in the structure-based design of inhibitors that either block existing antibiotic-resistance mechanisms or provide novel antibiotic therapies by targeting macromolecular assemblies essential to bacterial viability and/or pathogenesis.

Stuart Turvey

Investigator, BC Children's Hospital; Director, Clinical Research, BC Children's Hospital; Aubrey J. Tingle Professor of Pediatric Immunology Professor, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Dept. of Pediatrics,

My research program is translational, interdisciplinary and unique in its focus on understanding the role of innate immunity in infectious and inflammatory diseases of childhood. Starting with a population of children with a defined infectious or inflammatory disease phenotype (e.g., undue susceptibility to infection, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, asthma), I aim to determine the underlying cellular, molecular and genetic abnormalities responsible for the disease through detailed immunological, genomic and proteomic analysis. The new knowledge generated by this approach will aid diagnosis, elucidate mechanisms of disease pathogenesis and, ultimately, identify novel targets for anti-inflammatory and anti-infectious therapeutic agents.

Decheng Yang

Professor, Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Molecular pathogenesis in enterovirus infection of the heart and antiviral drug development