Grant: Canadian Microbiome Initiative - LOI

This new interdisciplinary Team will investigate the brain's microbiome in the context of health and two common diseases in Canada. Our preliminary studies indicate that the healthy brain is not a sterile organ but indeed contains exogenous pathogens together with expression of numerous endogenized agents and distinct neuroimmune responses. Herein, we will extend our investigations of the healthy brain during development but also examine the brain's infectious constituents and immune responses during a systemic (and neurological) infection, HIV/AIDS, and an autoimmune neurological disorder, multiple sclerosis. Our team has well-defined brain tissues as well as expertise and infrastructure related to immunology, virology with established genomics bioinformatics platforms, permitting verification of the experimental findings and leading to the development of rational preventative and therapeutic interventions.