Vote/like our video highlighting our NSERC funded research!

The Bowdish lab is thrilled to participate in NSERC’s “Science, Action!” video contest. An undergraduate team of videographers (Yung Lee, Karanbir Brar, and Tony Chen) filmed our lab discussing our NSERC funded work on discovering the evolutionary origins of phagocytosis. Please “like” and share our video to help us move on to the next level of the competition.

Our NSERC funding has been integral to the lab. This was one of the first grants that got the lab up and running and to date we have had 5 NSERC funded graduate students and 10 undergraduate students including 3 NSERC Undergraduate Summer Research Assistants in the lab. This funding has also been instrumental in developing new techniques, technologies and collaborations that have extended our research capacity.

What are we studying with our NSERC funded research?

Our NSERC Discovery Grant  entitled “Uncovering mechanisms of phagocytosis by class A scavenger receptors” allows us to use bioinformatics and molecular biology to understand the very origins of immunity.

Our lab studies macrophages, which are sentinel cells of the innate immune response. They patrol the body and engulf damaged tissues or pathogens and destroy them. This Pac-man like ability to eat microbes is called “phagocytosis”. We study a particular class of receptors that macrophages use to phagocytose called the scavenger receptors.

Phagocytosis is an ancient process that is central to defence and nutrient acquisition in single-celled organisms and embryonic development, clearance of modified host proteins and innate immunity in multi-cellular organisms. During phagocytosis a phenomenal amount of information is transmitted to the cell including the size and shape of the particle, its composition, and potential toxicity. How this information is transmitted is not really understood but is the focus of our work.

All the major discoveries in immunology (e.g. toll like receptors, intracellular sensors, signalling pathways) began with studies in comparative or evolutionary biology and my program of research continues this tradition. Indeed, the process of phagocytosis is believed to be the prototype function of the immune system as acquisition of nutrients developed into a mechanism of self- versus non-self recognition. The process of uptake is so ancient that it must have occurred prior to or in conjunction with the expression of protein receptors on the surface of the cell. The scavenger receptors, being primitive but effective uptake receptors may rely on membrane dynamics and lipid interactions more than their more evolutionarily recent counterparts (e.g. Fc receptors).  We use bioinformatics to study the genomes of ancient and modern animals to study how the scavenger receptors change over time. Parts of the scavenger receptor gene or protein that haven’t changed over time, are likely very important for function. We use molecular biology to uncover how these particular regions of the protein work.  Studying these processes will uncover novel mechanisms of signalling and contribute to our understanding of the cell biology of endocytosis and phagocytosis, which are processes integral to embryonic development, immunity, homeostasis, implant recognition and adhesion and consequently essential to many fields of biology.

Check out the other videos of the “Science, Action!” video contest here.

http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ScienceAction/index_eng.asp

To read more about our NSERC funded work click here.

Bowdish Lab attended Queen’s Park Lobby Day with the Ontario Lung Association!

Bowdish Lab attended Queen’s Park Lobby Day with the Ontario Lung Association!

On Monday November 30th, the last day of Lung Month, members of the Bowdish Lab joined the Ontario Lung Association to lobby for the Lung Health Act at Queen´s Park. PI Dawn Bowdish and four lab members, Andrea Kellner (visiting PhD candidate), Dessi Loukov (PhD candidate), Kyle Novakowski (PhD candidate) and Justin Boyle (undergraduate), advocated for increased funding for lung research through support of Bill 41: The Lung Health Act. It was a great honour to meet the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, David Levac and talk to him about the importance of lung health. This aim was well received and he encouraged the junior researchers to never stop pursuing their scientific goals. Afterwards the team had the opportunity to explore the stunning architecture and history of Queen´s Park, which first opened in 1860. Later the reception afforded the Bowdish lab the privilege to meet MPPs and organizing members of the Lung Association. One exceptional guest and supporter of the Lung Association is Walter Gretzky, who welcomed people warmly and never tired of giving autographs. Especially inspiring was the prospect of meeting people affected by lung diseases as well as people engaged to directly help them as respiratory educators. This emphasized the importance of research performed in the Bowdish Lab and for whom it is done for. In summary, the day highlighted how research and politics can work together to improve the lives of Ontarians and how democracy works in the context of health.

George Habib from the Ontario Lung Association discusses the importance of the Lung Health Act.

George Habib from the Ontario Lung Association discusses the importance of the Lung Health Act.

IMG_9706 IMG_9674 IMG_9629

Tammy Villeneuve (OLA), Andrea Kellner, Justin Boyle, MPP Dave Levac, Kyle Novakowski, Dessi Loukov and Dr. Dawn Bowdish meet to discuss the Lung Health Act.

Tammy Villeneuve (OLA), Andrea Kellner, Justin Boyle, MPP Dave Levac, Kyle Novakowski, Dessi Loukov and Dr. Dawn Bowdish meet to discuss the Lung Health Act.

Novemer 12th is World Pneumonia Day – celebrate by getting vaccinated against influenza and pneumococcal pneumonia!

Novemer 12th is World Pneumonia Day – celebrate by getting vaccinated against influenza and pneumococcal pneumonia!


Hear the interview on Metro Morning with Matt Galloway here:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/programs/metromorning/researchers-find-getting-the-flu-can-lead-to-other-diseases-1.3315848

Read about why older adults should be vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia and influenza, as profiled by the CBC here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/flu-vaccines-mcmaster-1.3315511?cmp=rss

and here

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/programs/metromorning/pathologist-deeply-saddened-vaccines-distrust-1.3315893

To hear Dawn discuss the benefits of vaccination for older adults on London AM 960 The Pulse with Devon Peacock (airdate: Nov 13, 2015) click here:
http://www.am980.ca/the-pulse/

To read about the link between dementia and pneumonia:
http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/rccm.201212-2154OC#.VkTWTHarRaR

To read about the link between cardiovascular disease and pneumonia
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2091304

Work in the Bowdish lab is funded by the Canadian taxpayer through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Science and Engineering Research Council, and through donations administered by the Ontario Lung Association.

Avee Naidoo recognized for her research by the CIHR Institute of Aging.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Bowdish lab PhD student, Avee Naidoo, won the Fall 2014 CIHR Institute of Aging Anne Martin-Matthews Doctoral Research Prize of Excellence in Research on Aging and is mentioned in the CIHR’s Institute of Aging newsletter!

November is Lung Month! The Bowdish lab gets involved with the Breathing As One campaign.


Research in Lung health is not nearly as well funded as it should be considering the toll it takes on patients and our healthcare system. That’s why the Bowdish lab is involved in the Lung Association’s Breathing as One campaign to raise money for lung research. Click on the picture to read the insert that was delivered in a number of newspapers (including our own Hamilton Spectator) to launch the campaign.Lung Association Breathing as One

Dawn’s Google+ social media page listed as one of “99 Google Plus Pages Every PhD Candidate Should Follow”.

Dawn posts on all things macrophage-y and gives updates on the Bowdish lab and science life in general on her Google+ page, which has now been listed by http://onlinephdprogram.org as one of their “99 Google Plus Pages every PhD Candidate should follow.”  Thanks for following everyone!

“Immunosenescence & novel vaccination strategies for the elderly” 2013. Dorrington et al. Frontiers in Immunology

What is the best way to reduce infectious disease in the elderly? Vaccination! Unfortunately the aging immune system presents a number of challenges for vaccine development. Bowdish lab PhD candidate Mike Dorrington discusses them in this review and presents a case for developing novel vaccines that work within the constraints of the aging immune system.

Media coverage: This paper was picked up by MDLinx. See their coverage here.

Click image for .pdf.

Dorrington Fronteirs review