RI-MUHC Annual Report

RI-MUHC ANNUAL REPORT 2021

YEAR IN REVIEW

INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND IMMUNITY IN GLOBAL HEALTH (IDIGH) PROGRAM

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

First large-scale efficacy studies of a plant-derived influenza vaccine

Dr. Brian Ward and colleagues showed in two multicentre phase 3 efficacy studies that a recombinant quadrivalent virus-like particle (QVLP) influenza vaccine, manufactured in plants by Medicago, is safe and protective against influenza. QVLP vaccines might address some of the limitations of current vaccines. Published in The Lancet.

Repurposing facilities to advance COVID-19 research

WIth a seed grant from the MUHC Foundation and partners, Dr. Marcel Behr and his team repurposed existing Containment Level 3 facilities at the RI-MUHC and McGill University to conduct live SARS-Cov-2 research. This research has accelerated with funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

Dr. Brian Ward, Fiona Mcintosh, Containment Level 3 platform manager, and Dr. Marcel Behr

Study of hydroxychloroquine usage may help personalize lupus treatment

Dr. Sasha Bernatsky and postdoctoral fellow Celline Brasil, PhD, identified predictors of unsuccessful hydroxychloroquine tapering and discontinuation in lupus patients. This understanding of outcomes is a first step toward personalized treatment. Published in Journal of Arthritis Care and Research.

Dr. Sasha Bernatsky and postdoctoral fellow/first study author Celline Brasil, PhD

Selected IDIGH Program news links

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Brian J. Ward, Philipe Gobeil, Annie Séguin, Judith Atkins, Iohann Boulay, Pierre-Yves Charbonneau, Manon Couture, Marc-André D’Aoust, Jiwanjeet Dhaliwall, Carolyn Finkle, Karen Hager, Asif Mahmood, Alexander Makarkov, Matthew P. Cheng, Stéphane Pillet, Patricia Schimke, Sylvie St-Martin, Sonia Trépanier, Nathalie Landry. Phase 1 randomized trial of a plant-derived virus-like particle vaccine for COVID‑19. Nature Medicine 27: 1071-1078, 2021. doi: 10.1038/s41591-021-01370-1.

Anastasia Cheng, Dongsic Choi, Maximilien Lora, Dominique Shum-Tim, Janusz Rak, Inés Colmegna. Human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells cytokine priming promotes RAB27B-regulated secretion of small extracellular vesicles with immunomodulatory cargo. Stem Cell Research & Therapy 11(1): 539, 2020. doi: 10.1186/s13287-020-02050-6.

Nadine Kronfli, Camille Dussault, Sylvie Chalifoux, Hasmig Kavoukian, Marina B Klein, Joseph Cox. A randomized pilot study assessing the acceptability of rapid point-of-care hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing among male inmates in Montreal, Canada. The International Journal on Drug Policy 85: 102921, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102921.

Makan Golizeh, Kaitlin Winter, Lucie Roussel, Marija Landekic, Mélanie Langelier, Vivian G Loo, Momar Ndao, Donald C Vinh. Fecal host biomarkers predicting severity of Clostridioides difficile infection. JCI insight 6(1): e142976, 2021. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.142976.

Adriana Cervo, Jovana Milic, Giovanni Mazzola, Filippo Schepis, Salvatore Petta, Thomas Krahn, Bertrand Lebouche, Marc Deschenes, Antonio Cascio, Giovanni Guaraldi, Giada Sebastiani. Prevalence, Predictors, and Severity of Lean Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Patients Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Clinical Infectious Diseases 71(10) : e694-e701, 2020. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa430.

Brendan D Snarr, Guillaume St-Pierre, Benjamin Ralph, Mélanie Lehoux, Yukiko Sato, Ann Rancourt, Takahiro Takazono, Shane R Baistrocchi, Rachel Corsini, Matthew P Cheng, Michele Sugrue, Lindsey R Baden, Koichi Izumikawa, Hiroshi Mukae, John R Wingard, Irah L King, Maziar Divangahi, Masahiko S Satoh, Bryan G Yipp, Sachiko Sato, Donald C Sheppard. Galectin-3 enhances neutrophil motility and extravasation into the airways during Aspergillus fumigatus infection. PLoS Pathogens 16: e1008741, 2020. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008741.

Naizhuo Zhao, Audrey Smargiassi, Marianne Hatzopoulou, Ines Colmegna, Marie Hudson, Marvin J Fritzler, Philip Awadalla, Sasha Bernatsky. Long-term exposure to a mixture of industrial SO2, NO2, and PM2.5 and anti-citrullinated protein antibody positivity. Environmental Health 19(1): 86, 2020. doi: 10.1186/s12940-020-00637-3.

Sanket Kant, Ningyu Zhang, Alexandre Barbé, Jean-Pierre Routy, Cécile Tremblay, Réjean Thomas, Jason Szabo, Pierre Côté, Benoit Trottier, Roger LeBlanc, Danielle Rouleau, Marianne Harris, Franck P Dupuy, Nicole F Bernard. Polyfunctional Fc Dependent Activity of Antibodies to Native Trimeric Envelope in HIV Elite Controllers. Frontiers in Immunology 11: 583820, 2020. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.583820.

Lara Hart, Mallory Chavannes, Omar Kherad, Chelsea Maedler, Nathalie Mourad, Victoria Marcus, Waqqas Afif, Alain Bitton, Peter L Lakatos, Paul Brassard, Talat Bessissow. Faecal Calprotectin Predicts Endoscopic and Histological Activity in Clinically Quiescent Ulcerative Colitis. Journal of Crohn's & Colitis 14(1): 46-52, 2020. doi : 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjz107.