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Microbiology

Project Leader(s): 

Postdoctoral fellow: Dr. Yijun Lou, Mathematics and Statistics, York University

Lead faculty member: Dr. Jane Heffernan, Mathematics and Statistics, York University

Genital herpes (GH), caused by Herpes simplex virus type 1 or 2 (HSV-1 or -2), is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases in the world. Currently, there is no effective treatment for GH, but a new vaccine Simplirix (by GSK), is currently in clinical trials. Simplirix has had some success in preventing disease, but only in females that are HSV-1 and -2 negative. Since oral herpes (OH, also caused by HSV-1 and -2) infection can occur at very early ages, vaccination against GH may be most effective in a childhood vaccination program.

Project Leader(s): 

Postdoctoral fellow: Dr. Majid Jaberi-Douraki, Mathematics and Statistics, York University

Lead faculty member: Dr. Seyed Moghadas, Mathematics and Statistics, York University

A major pharmaceutical intervention for management of many infectious diseases is the use of antiviral drugs. However, the rise of drug resistance poses significant threats to the effectiveness of drugs. This research proposes to determine optimal treatment strategies, through the development of population dynamical models for disease transmission and control, which can minimize the effect of resistance emergence in the population. This work will primarily focus on influenza infection, which still inflicts substantial morbidity, mortality, and socioeconomic costs worldwide.

Project Leader(s): 

Dr. Hermann Eberl, University of Guelph and Dr. John Stockie, Simon Fraser University

Project team: 
Dr. John R Dutcher, University of Guelph
Dr. Ian Frigaard, University of British Columbia
Dr. Nilima Nigam, Simon Fraser University
Dr. David Pink, St. Francis Xavier University
Dr. Gideon Wolfaardt, Ryerson University
Funding period: 
October 1, 2021 - March 31, 2021

Bacterial biofilms are microbial depositions on immersed surfaces and are ubiquitous in natural and engineered environments. For example, they play a significant role in medical applications where they can grow on artificial implants and cause infections; they form dental plaques and contribute to tooth decay; they can be utilized to assist in clean-up of contaminated soils or groundwater aquifers; they accelerate corrosion of metal surfaces; and they are a main culprit behind contamination of drinking water systems and food processing equipment.

Project Leader(s): 

Dr. Fahima Nekka , Université de Montréal

Project team: 
Dr. Jerome del Castillo, (Université de Montréal)
Dr. Renée Bergeron, (Université Laval )
Dr. Jacques Bélair, (Université de Montréal)
Dr. Jacques Turgeon, (Université de Montréal)
Dr. Sylvain Quessy, (Université de Montréal)
Dr. Jun Li, (Université de Montréal)
Funding period: 
April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2021
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Project Leader(s): 

Dr. Jianhong Wu , York University

Project Website: 
Project team: 
Dr. Julien Arino, McMaster University
Dr. Jacques Bélair, Université de Montréal
Dr. Fred Brauer, University of British Columbia
Dr. Troy Day, Queen's University
Dr. Julien Arino, University of Manitoba
Dr. Jacques Beir, Universite de Montreal
Dr. Fred Bauer, University of British Columbia
Dr. Troy Day, Queen’s University
Dr. Michael Li, University of Alberta
Dr. Charmaine Dean, Simon Fraser University
Dr. David N. Fishman, Ontario Public Health Laboratories
Dr. Jane Heffernan, York University
Dr. Kamran Khan, University of Toronto
Dr. Neal Madras, York University
Dr. Seyed M. Mogadas, University of Winnipeg
Dr. Shigui Ruan, Dalhousie University
Dr. Beni M. Sahai, Cadham Provincial Laboratory
Dr. Robert Smith, University of Ottawa
Dr. Lin Wang, University of New Brunswick
Dr. James Watmough, University of New Brunswick
Dr. Glenn Webb, Vanderbilt University
Dr. Hauiping Zhu, York University
Dr. Pauline van den Driessche, University of Victoria
Funding period: 
April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2021

Assembled at the height of the SARS outbreak in 2003, this project develops a variety of modeling templates.

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