Institute News in 2021

The recording of the Public Forum: COVID-19 Vaccines and Children is now available

December 13, 2021

Our expert panelists addressed some of the 400+ questions submitted by participants.

LKSIoV founding director Dr. Lorne Tyrrell receives the 2021 Friesen International Prize in Health Research

December 10, 2021

How can the Nobel Prize impact our community?

December 06, 2021

Having all-star researchers on board, like Sir Michael Houghton and other LKSIoV members, draws students, researchers and funding that boosts the economy.

New provincial research funding for U of A aims to create made-in-Alberta vaccine and drug development pipeline

December 01, 2021

Government of Alberta makes $55.1-million investment to take new vaccines and antiviral drugs from discovery to manufacturing.

LKSIoV member Dr. Jack Tuszynski, together with Drs. Tyrrell and Houghton, bring promising chemotherapy treatment to human trials

November 22, 2021

Director Dr. Lorne Tyrrell receives the Hepatitis B Foundation's 2022 Blumberg Prize for his pioneering work on hepatitis B

November 22, 2021

Congratulations to our Director, Dr. Lorne Tyrrell, on receiving the Hepatitis B Foundation's highest honour, the Blumberg Prize. The Baruch S. Blumberg Prize is considered to be the “Nobel Prize” for hepatitis B research.

Congratulations to LKSIoV trainee, Shima Shahbaz (Elahi lab), on her FoMD convocation spotlight.

November 19, 2021

Faced with the onset of a global pandemic during her postgraduate studies, Shima Shahbaz, ‘21 PhD in Medical Sciences - Oral Biology, quickly recognized the unexpected challenges came with great opportunity.

Congratulations to LKSIoV trainee, Reshma Sirajee (Hawkes lab), on her FoMD Convocation Spotlight

November 19, 2021

Reshma Sirajee draws on her family’s immigration experience to address global health disparities.

Congratulations to LKSIoV trainee, Cole Delyea (Bhavsar lab), on his FoMD convocation spotlight.

November 17, 2021

The greatest lesson Cole Delyea, ‘21 MSc in Immunology, took away from his time at the University of Alberta is that he is not a finished product.

Reminder: Deadline is approaching for the Winter Competition of the 2021 LKSIoV Research Support and Innovation Grants

November 16, 2021

Members: applications are due on Wed, Dec 1 @ 5 p.m. MT for the LKSIoV Research Support and Innovation Grants (up to $40,000 each).

Dr. Sue Tsai, LKSIoV member, to investigate the link between obesity and insulin resistance, and how it could improve immunity against COVID-19

November 12, 2021

A landmark study, led by LKSIoV member Dr. Shokrollah Elahi, points to source of rapid aging, chronic inflammation in people living with HIV

November 09, 2021

Findings could point to treatments to reduce negative effects of infection and reinforce the importance of early screening for HIV.

LKSAVI – API partnership poised to close Canada’s drug supply gaps

November 02, 2021

The Canadian Critical Drug Initiative aims to transform Alberta into a powerhouse in the development of life-saving therapies.

The Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute joins forces with the Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation

November 01, 2021

LKSIoV congratulates our member, Dr. Karen Doucette, on her CTS Clinical Recognition Award

October 27, 2021

LKSIoV member Dr. Michael Hawkes and his team find infections from respiratory viruses follow a predictable seasonal pattern

October 27, 2021

Viral infections peak in January and bottom out in June, with worse seasons every second year — an ebb and flow that could help the healthcare system plan ahead.

LKSIoV member Dr. David Evans is part of an international study that revealed two effective ways to sterilize disposable masks

October 25, 2021

This method will potentially allow masks to be reused by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in areas with limited resources.

U of A team led by LKSIoV member Dr. Joanne Lemieux uncovers new compounds to slow SARS-CoV-2 replication mechanism

October 21, 2021

Novel protease inhibitors show promise for developing safer, more effective COVID-19 treatments.

Sex matters when it comes to immune responses against infection and disease, study shows

October 12, 2021

LKSIoV member Dr. Shokrollah Elahi leads new research showing how anemia can generate different immune responses in males versus females.

Apply for the LKSIoV Bridge Grants

September 27, 2021

Members, apply now for our Bridge Grants ($40,000). Due Fri, Oct 22.

Apply for the LKSIoV Doctoral Student Awards

September 15, 2021

Apply now for our Doctoral Student Award ($12,500). Due Mon, Sep 27.

Apply for the LKSIoV Graduate Entrance Awards

September 15, 2021

Apply now for our Graduate Entrance Awards ($10,500). Due Fri, Oct 1 @ 5 p.m. MT.

Nominate an MMI trainee

September 07, 2021

Nominate an MMI trainee for the John Thibault Good Citizen Awards or the John Thibault Conference Attendance Support. Deadline: Sept 30, 2021

Congratulations to our members on receiving CIHR project funding

August 19, 2021

Congratulations to CIHR Project Funding Recipients: Khaled Barakat, Amit Bhavsar, Edan Foley and Sue Tsai.

LKSIoV member, Dr. Joanne Lemieux, and her collaborators pinpoint promising inhibitors that could lead to new antiviral drugs to treat COVID-19

August 10, 2021

The multidisciplinary team targeted a protein the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses to make more copies of itself.

LKSIoV member, Dr. Shokrollah Elahi, and his team find possible culprit of inflammation that causes death in COVID-19 patients

August 04, 2021

Blood plasma protein galectin-9 linked to "cytokine storms" that damage organs and tissue

LKSIoV's 2021 Research Support and Innovation Grants Summer Competition

July 30, 2021

Congratulations to Dr. Sue Tsai on receiving our Research Support and Innovation Grants Program with her project "Modulation of Type 1 diabetes development by IgA-mediated mucosal immunity".

Genetic variant linked to hearing loss in children treated with a common chemotherapy drug

July 27, 2021

LKSIoV member, Dr. Amit Bhavsar, and his lab help an international team confirm a genetic variant linked to hearing loss in children treated with a common chemotherapy drug. This finding could eventually lead to safer treatment for pediatric cancer patients.

Michael Woodside and his team target mechanism that makes Zika virus so dangerous

July 15, 2021

Innovative approach paves the way for potential new drug targets for viruses including dengue, yellow fever and West Nile

Hepatitis C vaccine could be available within five years, says U of A Nobel laureate Michael Houghton

July 12, 2021

New vaccine has potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives each year and dramatically reduce cost of treating infections with antiviral drugs

Tribute to Nobel Laureates at HCV 2021

July 09, 2021

Three outstanding Nobel laureates (Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles Rice) were honoured at the 27th International Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus and Related Viruses which was held virtually on July 6-9, 2021.

A recent study led by our member, Dr. Shokrollah Elahi, may help explain low oxygen levels in COVID-19 patients

June 02, 2021

SARS-CoV-2 infects immature red blood cells, reducing oxygen in the blood and impairing immune response

A Nobel search

May 24, 2021

What does it take to win the world’s top prize in medicine? Inside Michael Houghton’s seven-year hunt for a mystery virus.

Our member, Dr. Amit Bhavsar, and his collaborators pinpoint possible way to prevent permanent hearing loss caused by common childhood cancer drug

May 13, 2021

Deeper understanding of how the chemotherapy drug cisplatin works in the body may potentially eliminate the toxic side-effect in childhood cancer survivors

Our member, Dr. Matthias Götte, and his team reveal how a much-needed oral antiviral drug confuses the replication machinery of SARS-CoV-2

May 11, 2021

Molnupiravir under consideration for emergency use in India to slow explosive spread of COVID-19 infections

Our member, Dr. Shokrollah Elahi, and his team discover a marker that may predict response to cancer immunotherapy

May 07, 2021

Abundance of a protein called galectin-9 in cancer patients found to be associated with poor response to immunotherapy

Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute received $20M from the Government of Alberta

U of A institute gets $20 million funding for vaccine and virus research

April 08, 2021

A University of Alberta institute researching vaccines and viruses like COVID-19 is getting a $20-million boost over four years, making good on a funding promise in the last provincial budget

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