Experts: º«¹úÂãÎè boosts research to improve Mpox vaccines
Developing RNA-based vaccines has become a key focus in the fight against Mpox, which has spread to 116 countries, with over 100,000 confirmed cases worldwide, including more than 1,900 in Canada. The disease was once endemic to parts of Central and West Africa.
RNA-based vaccines offer the potential for better protection, adaptability to new strains, and faster production compared to existing vaccines.
º«¹úÂãÎè’s DNA to RNA Initiative and the º«¹úÂãÎè Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity have awarded a total of $500,000 to five research projects through a funding program designed to fast-track research that can have a direct impact on public health.
The following experts are available to discuss their projects and provide general insights into Mpox:
Jorg Hermann Fritz, Professor and Principal Investigator in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology and the Director of the º«¹úÂãÎè Research Centre on Complex Traits, will explore boosting immunity to Mpox through smallpox vaccination and finding new targets for Mpox vaccines.
jorg.fritz [at] mcgill.ca (English, German)
Leo Liu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology aims to develop a more efficient m-RNA Mpox vaccine to address challenges in scaling up current vaccines.
leo.liu [at] mcgill.ca (English)
Erwin Schurr, Professor in the Department of Medicine and Human Genetics will study how Mpox affects immune cells in the lungs to develop treatments that can stop the virus from spreading.
erwin.schurr [at] mcgill.ca (English)
Silvia Vidal, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, will test new RNA vaccine technology in mice to help develop more effective vaccines for Mpox.
silvia.vidal [at] mcgill.ca (English)
