III Newsletter - November 2012

Message From the Scientific Director,
Dr. Marc Ouellette

It is a pleasure to reach you through the new version of our Newsletter. I hope that you like the new format and find the information useful.

The 2007-2012 Strategic Plan will soon expire and, during the last year, current and former members of the III Advisory Board have invested considerable time in discussing the future role and priorities of the Institute. A first draft of the new strategic plan should be completed before the end of this year, and we will be seeking your input through an online survey. Our overarching priorities will be: strengthening and coordinating infection and immunity research; and facilitating the capture of the applications and impact of research, in line with the recommendations of the III International Expert Review Team. I would be pleased to engage with any group that wishes to provide additional input.

Currents efforts in terms of new funding initiatives are in the areas of the Roadmap Signature Initiatives (see below); in vaccines through a collaboration with ISTP Canada and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology; and on a potential new initiative on translational opportunities in the field of antibiotic resistance. Efforts are currently underway to leverage international interest and efforts to promote this work. Similarly, the HIV Initiative will have a new initiative on Cure research, and the Institute hopes to coordinate these research efforts with those made internationally under the auspices of the International Aids Society (IAS).

Finally, I would like to congratulate all the researchers who were successful in the CIHR open suite of programs or in Institute-affiliated strategic opportunities (page 4).

Please do not hesitate to contact me, or other III team members, if you need further information on anything in the newsletter, or if you wish to provide feedback on our past, current or future activities.

I wish you success in your research endeavours.

Best wishes,

Marc Ouellette

III Engages in CIHR Roadmap Signature Initiatives

The Institute of Infection and Immunity fully embraces the Roadmap Signature Initiatives (RSI) and will invest in the following four Initiatives where research areas within its mandate are well represented.

The Inflammation in Chronic Disease RSI, which is co-led by IMHA and III, recently launched its first funding opportunity, the Team Grant – Health Challenges in Chronic Inflammation Initiative. This initiative will provide up to $500,000 in funding for five years (2014-2019) to teams working on at least two distinct chronic inflammatory diseases, and adopting an approach encompassing at least two of CIHR's four research themes (biomedical, clinical, population health, health system). Successful teams must be comprised of at least four independent researchers, with one researcher being a new investigator, i.e. less than 5 years from his/her academic nomination at the time of full application deadline (October 15, 2013). For more information on this funding opportunity, please consult our website or contact Serge Desnoyers at serge.desnoyers@crchul.ulaval.ca.

The Institute of Infection and Immunity is a partner on the Personalized Medicine RSI. Personalized medicine is an emerging approach that aligns with several areas of the Institute's mandate. III followed closely the evolution of this RSI and participated in many workshops, including the Canada-China Joint Scientific Workshop on "Genomics and Personalized Health" in September 2012, and the CIHR-Industry Workshop on Personalized Medicine in May 2012. III will provide funds for successful III-related teams in the Genome Canada/CIHR Large-Scale Applied Research Project Competition in Genomics and Personalized Health, and in the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Competition.

One of the four exemplars of the Pathways to Health Equity for Aboriginal Peoples RSI is tuberculosis, a research topic of relevance to III. The Institute participated in the recent Consensus Workshop on Pathways in Ottawa, October 16-17 and is looking forward to becoming a partner on this exciting RSI.

The Evidence-Informed Healthcare Renewal RSI initiative will support researchers and decision makers to work together to advance the current state of knowledge, generate novel and creative solutions, and translate evidence for uptake into policy and practice to strengthen Canada's healthcare systems.

Upcoming Science Meetings

The 10th Canadian Immunization Conference
December 3-5, 2012, Vancouver Conference Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
immunconf2012@phac-aspc.gc.ca

Keystone Symposium: Immunological Mechanisms of Vaccination,
December 13-18, 2012, Ottawa, Canada

Canadian Public Health Associatoion 2013 Annual Conference
June 9-13, 2013, Ottawa Convention Center
Call for abstract: Deadline: November 21, 2012

2nd Canadian Symposium on HCV
March 4, 2013, Victoria, BC

International Congress of Mucosal Immunology
July 17-21, 2013, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Researcher Profile

Dr. Tara Moriarty,
University of Toronto, Faculty of Dentistry, Matrix Dynamics Group, Oral Microbiology

Dr. Tara Moriarty is the winner of our Bhagirath Singh Early Career Award in Infection and Immunity for 2011.

Tara completed a BA in Anthropology, BSc in Anatomy and Cell Biology, and a PhD at McGill University. From 2005-2010, she trained with George Chaconas at the University of Calgary, where she studied telomere replication and resolution in the tick-transmitted Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi.

During her postdoctoral training, in collaboration with a postdoctoral fellow from the University of Calgary laboratory of Paul Kubes, Dr. Moriarty developed the first intravital microscopy methods for studying the dissemination mechanisms of bacterial pathogens in real-time. This approach has led to the identification and mechanistic characterization of host and bacterial molecules mediating B. burgdorferi vascular adhesion in viv; identification of a pharmaceutical compound that inhibits B. burgdorferi vascular interactions; and identification of a role for liver Kupffer and iNKT cells in the intravascular immune response to circulating B. burgdorferi. The four high-profile papers resulting from this work were published in PLoS Pathogens, Nature Immunology and Molecular Microbiology, and have attracted more than 22,000 viewings to date.

In 2010, Dr. Moriarty joined the Matrix Dynamics Group at the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. Her independent research group studies the dissemination mechanisms of B. burgdorferi, which is an important emerging pathogen. Lyme disease is the most prevalent vector-borne infection in the industrialized world, and its incidence is increasing rapidly, in part due to climate warming and associated expansion of tick habitat. It is estimated that by 2020, 80% of the Canadian population will be living in areas populated by tick species which transmit Lyme disease, an increase of ~400% over ten years. Health Canada declared Lyme disease a nationally reportable infection in 2009. Vascular dissemination is a key step in the progression of Lyme disease, and it is therefore crucial to understand the mechanisms underlying this process.

Dr. Moriarty is currently supported by a 5-year CIHR grant (2012-2017) on the mechanisms of vascular dissemination in the Lyme disease spirochete.

Funding Opportunities

CHIR Program Grant in Transplantation Research
(Phase2: full application), Deadline: 2012-12-03

Health Challenges in Chronic Inflammation Initiative,
Deadline for Letter of Intent: 2012-11-15
Full Application Deadline: 2013-10-15

ISTPCanada and CIHR invite you to consider applying to the Canada-China Joint Initiative on Human Vaccine Research and Development.
For more information click here.

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The HIV/AIDS Research Initiative Corner

The Scientific Director of CIHR-III, Dr. Marc Ouellette, provides leadership for the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative. The Initiative is responsible for the management and oversight of the research components of the two major Government of Canada initiatives in HIV/AIDS: the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada and the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative. The following is some news and updates from the HIV Initiative:

Initiative on HIV Cure Research
The CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative has recently launched a Catalyst Grant: Innovation in HIV Vaccine and HIV Cure Research funding opportunity in order to stimulate further research and increase investments in these areas. This is the first CIHR funding opportunity specifically focused on the recently identified priority of finding a cure for HIV and is part of a comprehensive approach to funding HIV vaccine research, under the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative. (Deadline Date: Nov 15, 2012)

It is anticipated that further funding opportunities related to HIV cure research, and aligned with the international scientific strategy Towards an HIV Cure, will be launched this year or early in 2013. For more information, please see the Summary Report: CIHR Consultation - Finding a Cure for HIV Initiative, or contact HIV Initiative staff.

Program Evaluations
As part of its efforts to ensure the best investment of strategic HIV research funding, the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative is currently evaluating two of its major funding programs: that for the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network and the Centres for Population Health and Health Services Research Development in HIV/AIDS. These program evaluations are designed and intended to provide CIHR with strong evidence on the outcomes of the programs and recommendations for future program design. CIHR would like to acknowledge and thank the funded teams for their strong support and cooperation throughout the processes as well as the many individual researchers, trainees, research users and other stakeholders that have contributed their valuable time to complete surveys, interviews and/or provide other input.

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Health Promotion Day

Antibiotic Awareness Week, November 12-18, 2012

Launched in 2010 as a new health promotion week, Antibiotic Awareness Week promotes the prudent use of antibiotics as one mechanism of overcoming antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is a global health issue that health practitioners confront every day. Canadian Antibiotic Awareness Week focuses on the relationship between doctors and patients by offering printed and online information for practitioners, patients and parents, as well as webcasts presenting the latest data and information on antimicrobial resistance. For more information, please consult Antiobiotic Awareness.

This year the webinar presentations focus an antimicrobial resistance. On November 14 and 16 at 11:00 am EST, you will be able to access the following: "The Menace of Antimicrobial Resistance" by Dr. Donald E. Low, MD, FRCPC (University of Toronto), "Antimicrobial Resistance: Perspectives from the Public Health Agency of Canada" by Marc-André Gaudreau (PHAC), "Monitoring AMR from farm to fork – results from the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS)" by Rita Finlay (PHAC), "Antimicrobial Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Canada: a National Perspective" by Irene Martin (PHAC), and "Public Health Updates on the Management of multidrug resistant gonorrhea (MDR-GC)" by Dr. Thomas Wong (PHAC).

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Congratulations to Funding Recipients

III would like to congratulate the following researchers for their success in securing funding from III priority announcements.

Planning and Dissemination program

Planning grant
Steven J. Hoffman, McMaster University (Winter 2012)
Bruce D. Mazer, McGill University (Spring 2012)

Dissemination grant
Deborah M. Money, University of British Columbia (Winter 2012)
Jean Shoveller and Kate Shannon, University of British Columbia (Spring 2012)

Priority Announcement - Open competition March 2012

Bridge funding
Ninan Abraham, University of British Columbia
Rudolf A. Ehrhardt, University of Toronto
Tom C. Hobman, University of Alberta

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The III News in Pictures

The III Institute Advisory Board Visited Montreal last September

III held its most recent Institute advisory board meeting in Montreal, on September 26-27 at Auberge du Vieux-Port. On this occasion, the Board and III staff met met with representatives of universities and research centres of Montreal.

III is an Active Player in Talks on Vaccine Development in Partenership with China

The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity, and the National Research Council of Canada are Canadian partners in the promotion and design of research programs in vaccines research. They have established relationship with China for whom vaccines research is important as well as strategic. A meeting with these partners already took place in March 2011, in Shenzhen (China). The most recent meeting (left) took place in Ottawa last October. Information on an upcoming Canada-China funding opportunity in vaccine research from ISTP can be found here.