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Two Molecular Biology and Biochemistry researchers receive Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar awards

September 17, 2024

by Erin Brown-John

SFU Molecular Biology and Biochemistry researchers Valentin Jaumouillé and Amy Lee have received Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar awards to support their work in leading-edge health research.

The program supports early-career health researchers who are making substantial contributions to their field, and provides funding that enables them to conduct critical research, develop innovative treatments, and translate their findings into practices that benefit people across BC.

Valentin Jamouille

Understanding and exploiting the role of phagocyte mechanobiology in anti-tumor immunity

Lay Summary:

Cancer is the leading cause of mortality in British Columbia. Whereas the immune system has long been recognized as an effective protection against infections, recent breakthroughs have demonstrated that the immune system also has the capacity to control cancer progression. Thus, cancer immunotherapies are being developed as a new type of treatment that acts by boosting the natural capacities of the immune system and directing it to destroy tumors. Amongst the different types of cells composing the immune system, professional phagocytes have the unique capacity to eliminate cancer cells by engulfing and digesting them. Subsequently, they are able to activate other immune cells, called lymphocytes, to mount an immune response specifically directed against the tumor. However, new evidence suggests that mechanical cues and physical constraints prevent phagocytes from using their anti-tumor potential. The goal of this project is to understand how phagocytes sense, respond and utilize mechanical forces to overcome physical constraints, with the aim to harness these mechanisms to develop more effective cancer immunotherapies.

Amy Lee

Using systems biology to improve neonatal sepsis diagnosis and treat antimicrobial-resistant infections

Lay Summary: 

Several infectious diseases are among the top causes of death worldwide, including ~7% of deaths in Canada. Bacterial infections are often treatable; however, chronic misuse of antibiotics has created a critical global health threat by increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In addition, bacterial infection can lead to sepsis, which is particularly dangerous for newborns and kills three million babies per year. Avoiding further infant deaths will require (1) methods to predict and detect sepsis early, enabling treatment when the chance of survival is greatest, and (2) knowledge of how pathogens like Klebsiella pneumoniae cause disease in newborns, guiding the development of targeted treatments that overcome AMR. Using hundreds of newborn blood samples, we are using cutting-edge genomic, bioinformatic, and machine learning approaches to identify molecular changes induced by sepsis that are generalizable to infants worldwide. This research is critical for our long-term goal of developing rapid tests and precision treatments that neutralize sepsis—the most common cause of newborn death.

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