“Exploring fundamental and translational research in the immunology of infectious disease, vaccines, cancer, aging, allergy and lung health to forge new treatments for disease.”
The McMaster Immunology Research Centre (MIRC) is a vibrant, highly successful research grouping, with a unique model of research excellence, teaching/research training, and service provision (including core facilities) aligned with the mission of the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), McMaster University and of major funding bodies such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). MIRC has an outstanding record of research and training in mucosal immunology, infectious disease, aging, allergy, cancer and lung disease. MIRC enables ease of collaboration and integration of basic and translational research themes, and is characterized by impact discoveries of immune mechanisms and new approaches towards therapeutics in disease.
Mission
- To discover and translate innovative strategies for the prevention and therapy of infections, allergy, chronic inflammatory diseases, and cancer with a focus on mucosal tissues.
- To be a world leading centre in integrated health research and training in immunology and its translation to new therapies.
- To provide the Faculty and University with a successful model of collaboration in research excellence and training.
Key Research Strengths
MIRC has attained a considerable size in personnel (54 graduate students, > 25 technicians, 15 postdoctoral fellows, 19 research associate/scientists) over the past three years helping to enable continuity over time. The Centre occupies approximately 45,000 sq. ft. of lab space in the Michael DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery (MDCL) and drives excellence within the following research areas of expertise:
- Mucosal immunology and innate immunity
- Cancer immunology and immunotherapy
- Food allergy and allergic airway disease
- Infectious diseases, vaccines and their development
- Chronic inflammation, tissue homeostasis and lung disease
- Influence of aging and environment (including microbiome) on immunological mechanisms
MIRC as a whole provides a key resource to the FHS and University to support investigations requiring immunological expertise/facilities. MIRC principal investigators and staff have expertise in technologies that enable standard, new and entrepreneurial approaches and platforms for discovery and translation. These include:
- Well-developed animal models of immune mechanisms
- Expertise in virology, recombinant Adenoviruses and lentiviruses, a GMP production facility which is unique to the institution
- A central core histology facility, unique to the institution with automated staining capability for immuno-staining, FISH and CISH (Unique in Canada)
- A central core flow cytometry facility which is unique to the institution, that also has a GLP-like immune analysis facility (HITS, which is unique to Ontario and one of only two in Canada)
- A level III biohazard approved facility with Flow cytometry capability
- A staff scientist maintained for consultation and collaboration in bioinformatics
- Expertise in translation of discovery to clinical trials