Infectious diseases have a staggering impact on our health. The AIDS epidemic and recent viral and bacterial outbreaks have demonstrated that the threat is always present. Any infectious agent is only 24 hours away from anywhere else in the world. This makes the case for the need for a better understanding of the relationship between human hosts and pathogens crucial in identifying, controlling and reducing the impact of infectious diseases on our health.
Dr. Jacques Corbeil, Canada Research Chair in Medical Genomics, focuses on deciphering the interactions between agents such as HIV-1, respiratory viruses and other microorganisms and the human host.
Modern genomic techniques generate a deluge of data that need to be interpreted using novel bioinformatics approaches. Corbeil is using state-of-the-art instrumentation and methodologies to investigate the molecular components of specific infectious agents in order to piece back their mechanisms of virulence.
Corbeil’s research includes investigating how HIV-1 modulates innate immunity (the cells and mechanisms that defend the host from infection). He is also examining the effects of antibiotics on our microbial flora (the microbes that help us digest our food) and exploring how to design small molecules and drugs to interfere with specific microbial functions. This research generates large amounts of data, so Corbeil is applying new algorithms and bioinformatics approaches to sort out these complex host-pathogen systems.
Corbeil’s research will lead to improved understanding of infectious diseases and could result in improved diagnostic tools and treatments to fight them.