Canada-UK Workshop Participant List

A Canada-UK Workshop: "Beating the Bugs"

Canada House, London, 6-7 February 2008

Canadian participants

Name	Affiliation	Area of Research
Yossef Av-Gay	University of British Columbia Division of Infectious Diseases Room 440D HP East 2733 Heather St. Vancouver, BC V5Z 3J5 604-603-1806 yossi@interchange.ubc.ca	Genetics, TB; Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb); novel methods to identify inhibitors by screening large numbers of compounds to identify those that make Mtb antibiotic sensitive; Protein Kinases as novel drug targets for TB Therapeutics, innate resistance provided by Mycothiol.
Lorne Babiuk	University of Alberta 3-7 University Hall Edmonton, AB T6G 2J9 780-492-5353 lorne.babiuk@ualberta.ca	Vaccines, innate immunity, novel vaccine development, infectious diseases.
Michel G. Bergeron	Université Laval Centre de recherche en infectiologie du CHUL 2705, boul. Laurier, Québec City, QC G1V 4G2 418-654-2705 Michel.G.Bergeron@crchul.ulaval.ca	Rapid DNA diagnostic tests for the detection of microbes; Development of compact disc (CD) which can detect nucleic acids (Point-of-care test); Microbicides (Invisible Condom®); Immunotargeting of HIV in lymph mode.
Edith Blondel-Hill	British Columbia Children's Hospital Department of Laboratory Medicine 2G5 4500 Oak Street Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1 604-875-2345 ext 7649 ebhill@cw.bc.ca	Antimicrobial utilization; guideline and policy development for antibiotic use and prescribing; mechanisms of resistance; susceptibility testing.
Judy Bray	CIHR - Institute of Infection and Immunity (III) Room 97, 160 Elgin Street Address Locator: 4809A Ottawa, ON K1A 0W9 613-954-7223 jbray@cihr-irsc.gc.ca	The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III) supports research and helps to build research capacity in the areas of infectious disease and the body's immune system. Through the Institute's programs, researchers address a wide range of health concerns related to infection and immunity including disease mechanisms, disease prevention and treatment, and health promotion through public policy.
Lori Burrows	Master University Dept. of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences 4H18 Health Sciences Centre, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5 905-525-9140 ext. 22029 burrowl@mcmaster.ca	Type IV pili and type II secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa; the role of peptidoglycan structure in expression of secretion and motility systems; biofilm formation and prevention; and development of novel antimicrobial compounds.
Anthony Clarke	University of Guelph Science Complex Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 519-824-4120 ext. 53362 aclarke@uoguelph.ca	Enzymology of peptidoglycan metabolism; mechanism of action of penicillin-binding proteins; pathways for O-acetylation and de-O-acetylation of peptidoglycan; structure-function relationship and mechanism of action of lytic transglycosylases; bacterial resistance to beta lactam antibiotics; broad spectrum beta lactamase inhibitors; interaction of beta lactamases with beta lactam antibiotics and with inhibitors.
Alan Davidson	University of Toronto Department of Biochemistry, and Dept. of Molecular Genetics Medical Sciences Building, Room 4285 1 King's College Circle Medical Sciences Building Room 5207 Toronto, ON M5S 1A8 416-978-0332 alan.davidson@utoronto.ca	Antibiotic resistance; bacteriophage therapy, specialized phage-tail structures called pyocins that are produced by Pseudomonas bacteria; novel antibacterial therapies for the pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.
Julian Davies	University of British Columbia (Professor Emeritas) Department of Microbiology and Immunology Life Sciences Institute 2350 Health Sciences Mall Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 604-822-5856 jed@interchange.ubc.ca	Microbial ecology; origins and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in bacteria; gene capture and horizontal gene transfer; degradation pathways of xenobiotics and lignin-derived products by streptomycetes; non-cultivable bacterial species; genes for antibiotic biosynthetic pathways; isolation of novel secondary metabolites for pharmaceutical application; novel antibiotics; resistance mechanisms; xenobiotic degradation; the biology of antibiotics (discovery, production, function, and resistance); mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer and environmental microbiology
Jonathan Dennis	University of Alberta Department of Biological Sciences CW 405, Biological Sciences Centre M 354, Biological Sciences Bldg. Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9 780-492-2529 jon.dennis@ualberta.ca	Bacteriophages; Burkholderia cepacia complex and their phages; Phage aerosols; Efflux pumps; Antibiotic resistance and solvent tolerance; Mobile genetic elements; Plasmids
Jennifer Gardy	University of British Columbia CMDR - Room 222A, 2259 Lower Mall, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4 604-827-4005 jennifer@cmdr.ubc.ca	Pathogenesis of innate immunity; host defence peptides; database creation - key genes, proteins and interactions; systems biology; computational modelling, perturbations of innate immune networks.
Bob Hancock	University of British Columbia Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research Lower Mall Research Station, UBC Room 232 - 2259 Lower Mall Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 604-822-2682 bob@cmdr.ubc.ca	Gram-negative bacterial surfaces; antibiotic uptake and resistance; host defence (antimicrobial) peptides (a component of the immune system that kills bacteria); genetics/genomics of P. aeruginosa; selective modulation of the innate immune response; novel therapeutics based on the immunomodulatory and antibiotic activities of host defence peptides; regulation of resistance and virulence.
David Heinrichs	University of Western Ontario room 215 Sieben's Centre London, ON N6A 5C1 519-661-3984 deh@uwo.ca	Novel anti-infective therapeutics that can both treat and prevent S. aureus (particularly MRSA) infections: S. aureus pathogenicity; identification and validation of highly selective targets that are essential in the acquisition of iron, the critical nutrient for S. aureus, from the infected host; development and validation of therapeutic antibodies against these iron acquisition targets that will prevent the pathogen's ability to survive in the host.
Walid Houry	University of Toronto 1 King's College Circle Medical Sciences Building, Room 5308 Program in Proteomics and Bioinformatics Department of Biochemistry Toronto, ON M5S 1A8 416-946-7141 walid.houry@utoronto.ca	Molecular chaperones; proteases; self-compartmentalizing cylindrical serine protease - ClpP ; activators of cylindrical proteases (ACP) as a novel class of antibiotics.
Allison McGeer	Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto Department of Microbiology, Room 210 600 University Ave, Toronto, ON M5G 1X5 416-586-3118 amcgeer@mtsinai.on.ca	Prevention of serious bacterial and viral infections in adults; use of surveillance to answer research questions and change practice;. Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases; Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD); creation of prediction rules for severe CDAD and also relapsing CDAD; definition of a group of high risk patients; new therapeutic strategies.
Michael Mulvey	University of Manitoba, Public Health Agency of Canada National Microbiology Laboratory Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2 204-789-2133 michael_mulvey@phac-aspc.gc.ca	Monitoring the emergence of antimicrobial resistant organisms (AROs) in our hospitals and communities including MRSA, C. difficile, VRE. ESBLs, multidrug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter, Salmonella and S. pneumoniae, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae; AROs in northern communities including antimicrobial prescribing patterns; molecular epidemiology of AROs; development of an educational programs aimed at both health care providers and individuals in the community in an attempt to reduce the prevalence of AROs; proteomics and genomics studies involving epidemic MRSA, C. difficile, and Salmonella Typhimurium DT104.
Marc Ouellette	Université Laval Centre de recherché en infectiologie CHUQ-pavillon CHUL 2705 bou. Laurier Québec City, QC G1V 4G2 418-654-2705 Marc.Ouellette@crchul.ulaval.ca	Antimicrobial resistance; mechanisms of resistance in the parasite, Leishmania and the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae; development of new tools to diagnose resistance and novel targets for new drugs; novel pathways; potential therapeutic and diagnostic targets; phage therapy; Whole genome analysis.
Subash Sad	National Research Council - University of Ottawa Research Officer, Immunomodulation NRC Institute for Biological Sciences (IBS) 1200 Montreal Road, Bldg. M-54, Room 127 Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6 613-993-6015 subash.sad@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca	Innate immune mechanisms, cytokine biology, immune regulation, immune evasion, control of intracellular pathogens, novel lipid-based alternatives to antibiotics, adaptive immune mechanisms, novel vaccine delivery vehicles, cellular immunology, genomics, lipid chemistry.
Bhagi Singh	Scientific Director - CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III) University of Western Ontario The Siebens-Drake Research Institute 1400 Western Road, Room #224 London, ON N6G 2V4 519-661-3228 bsingh@uwo.ca	The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III) supports research and helps to build research capacity in the areas of infectious disease and the body's immune system. Through the Institute's programs, researchers address a wide range of health concerns related to infection and immunity including disease mechanisms, disease prevention and treatment, and health promotion through public policy.
David Speert	University of British Columbia Rm 377 Res Ctr 950 W 28th Av Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4 604-875-2438 dspeert@cw.bc.ca	Innate host defenses; microbial determinants of pulmonary pathogenesis; lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis; Pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa; pathogenesis of Burkholderia cepacia complex; innate host defense mechanisms, particularly of the lung; molecular epidemiology of bacterial infection; role of macrophages, polymorphonuclear leukocytes and dendritic cells; the role of specific receptor-ligand interactions; biofilm formation/quorum sensing; molecular epidemiology.
Donald Weaver	Dalhousie University Departments of Medicine (Neurology) and Chemistry Halifax, NS B3H 4J3 902-494-7183 donald.weaver@dal.ca	Drugs which can be prescribed in combination with antibiotics to better fight infections; gram-negative bacteria, compounds that interfere with the upkeep of the outer membrane; overcoming resistance.
Gillian Wu	York University Lumbers Building 4700 Keele St. Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 1-416-7362100 (23070) gillwu@yorku.ca UK Contact: Visiting Fellow, Clare Hall, University of Cambridge Herschel Road, Cambridge CB3 9Al, UK Ph (from North America) 011 44 1223 332374	Generation of lymphoid diversity; Polymporphisms in the Immune System, especially in Autoimmune Diseases such as Arthritis; determination of variations in responses to antigens including microbial and self antigens

UK participants

Name	Affiliation	Area of Research
Mike Barer	University of Leicester ebhill@cw.bc.ca	Clinical Microbiology; Tuberculosis; Chemotherapy of stressed and non--replicating bacteria; Mycobacterial lipid metabolism.
Weng Chan	University of Nottingham	Quorum sensing modulators; virulence modulators; anti-infective agents; Gram-positive pathogens; Staphylococcus aureus; peptidomimetics; peptide chemical biology.
Derrick Crook	University of Oxford	Adult infectious diseases and clinical microbiology and specialist training; bacterial infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus agalactiae, Haemophilus influenzae and Staphylococcal species; epidemiology; population biology; antibiotic resistance elements; host genetic susceptibility.
Chris Dowson	University of Warwick	Antibiotic resistance; bacterial pathogenicity; population genetics; molecular basis for the evolution of antibiotic resistance; chemotherapeutic agents or vaccination; regulation of the resistant phenotype, due to the acquisition of resistance determinants or cell physiology
Mark Enright	Imperial College London	Epidemiology of infections caused by bacteria; development of genetic tools to track 'superbugs' MRSA as they spread in human populations; evolution of antibiotic resistance
Gadi Frankel	Imperial College London	Host pathogen interaction and transmission, focusing on E. coli O157 and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). Combining novel infection models and imagining methods to study type III secretion system (apparatus and effectors) and infection dynamics, mechanisms of bacterial attachment, colonisation and subversion of cell signalling.
Stephen Gillespie	University College London	Tuberculosis, drug development, clinical trials, mathematical modelling of treatment effects, diagnostics for clinical trials.
Peter Hawkey	Heart of England NHS Foundation	Molecular evolution of ?-lactamases, aminoglycoside inactivating enzymes and the TET(M) family of transposons; molecular typing methods and the molecular epidemiology of nosocomial bacteria.
Andrew Hayward	University College London	Antimicrobial prescribing; antimicrobial resistance; primary care; acute respiratory infection.
Ian Henderson	University of Birmingham	Bacterial pathogens; class of virulence determinants; secreted virulence proteins; type V secretion.
Doug Lowrie	NIMR	The location and form of persister TB bacteria in murine models; the capacity of the bacteria that cause tuberculosis to persist in tissues; sensitive molecular probe technologies and mouse models of persistent infection.
Dietrich Mach	University of Swansea	Staphylococcus epidermidis; medical biofilm disease ; intravascular catheters or joint prostheses; S. epidermidis in surface adherent biofilms; polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA); homoglycan of b -1,6 -linked N- acetylglucosamine residues; isogenic biofilm-negative icaA-insertion mutants expression of PIA and biofilm formation; essential virulence factors of S. epidermidis in foreign body infection models; isogenic biofilm -negative mutants with regulatory defects in transcription of icaADBC; allelic gene replacement analysis of regulatory gene loci.
Laura Piddock	University of Birmingham	Antibiotic resistance in enteric bacteria (Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli); efflux pumps in both antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity.
David Roper	University of Warwick	Structural and molecular enzymology of antibiotic resistance mechanisms particularly in respect of Vancomycin and beta-lactam resistance. Biosynthesis of peptidoglycan in Gram positive and negative pathogens.
Peter Taylor	London School of Pharmacy	Novel Antibacterial Therapies; Natural Products with Antibacterial Activity; Overcoming Resistance to Antibiotics; MRSA; Complement; Bacterial Neonatal Meningitis; Bacteriophage Enzymes as Therapeutics; Escherichia coli.
Liz Wellington	University of Warwick	Characterisation of bacterial and fungal microorganisms in soil; analysis of bacterial gene expression; detection, quantification and activity of specific bacterial and fungal communities; pathogen survival in soi; analysis of soil microbial communities.
Paul Williams	University of Nottingham	Bacterial cell-to-cell communication (quorum sensing), gene regulatory networks and the control of virulence and biofilm gene expression; post-transcriptional gene regulation; quorum sensing systems as antibacterial targets; discovery and development of novel antibacterial agents.
Neil Woodford	Health Protection Agency	Reference bacteriology; resistance mechanisms; molecular epidemiology; susceptibility testing; antisense antibacterials
Brendan Wren	London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine	Evolution of bacterial virulence; development of novel conjugate vaccines using protein glycan coupling technology; application of systems biology to understand host pathogen interactions.
Wilma Ziebuhr	Queen's University Belfast	Epidemiology of heathcare-associated biofilm-forming, multiresistant Staphylococci; mechanisms of genome flexibility and horizontal gene transfer; effect of subinhibitory antibiotic concentrations on gene expression and metabolism; novel antimicrobial compounds.
Brian Duerden	Department of Health	Inspector of Microbiology and Infection Control at the Department of Health. Responsible for ensuring the quality and consistency of clinical and public health microbiology services.
Bill Maton-Howarth	Department of Health	Chief Research Officer for Public Health.
Jo Dekkers	Medical Research Council	Programme Manager for Infections and Immunity Board.
Peter Dukes	Medical Research Council	Board Programme Manager for Infections and Immunity Board.
Claire Kidgell	Wellcome Trust	Science Programme Officer, Immunology and Infectious Disease.

Other participants

Shiva Amiri, Science & Innovation Officer, British Consulate General, Toronto
Leszek Borysiewicz, Chief Executive, Medical Research Council, UK
Richard Davis, Wellcome Trust
Mike Jeapes, Medical Research Council, UK
Graham Baker, Technology Development Officer, High Commission of Canada
Catherine Dickson, Counsellor (Trade, Investment, S&T), High Commission of Canada
Tina Hodges, Science & Technology Assistant, High Commission of Canada
Caroline Martin, Manager, Science & Technology Programme, High Commission of Canada
Guy Sainte-Jacques, Deputy High Commissioner for Canada