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Exploring new avenues to develop tomorrow’s medical knowledge through an approach that integrates basic and clinical research

Our research units are led by principal investigators who collaborate in a spirit of collegiality and with the vision of bridging the gap between research and patients. They train the next generation of scientists and are independent and creative minds who work tirelessly to improve health.

 

Éric A.
Cohen

Director, Human Retrovirology Research Unit

Current research

Human Retrovirology

The Human Retrovirology Research Unit focuses on the interactions of HIV-1 with host target immune cells, which govern viral replication, persistence and transmission. Current studies are aimed at understanding the functional role of the Vpr, Vpu and Nef accessory proteins in HIV-1 infection and pathogenesis and at elucidating in molecular and cellular terms their mechanism of action. These studies are important to inform and guide current efforts aimed at developing strategies to prevent and cure HIV.

Increasingly, the team is utilizing human primary immune cells, biological material isolated from HIV-infected individuals and gene disruption approaches to study the function of specific genes in vivo. The availability of various humanized mouse models of HIV infection allows us to study HIV-host interactions and test therapeutic interventions in vivo. 

Available positions Clinical studies

Team
  • Anastasia DMITRIENKO Collaboratrice externe External Collaborator anastasia.dmitrienko@ircm.qc.ca
  • Chenrongrong CAI Étudiante au doctorat PhD Student Chenrongrong.Cai@ircm.qc.ca
  • Claudia Champagne Assistante de recherche Research Assistant Claudia.Champagne@ircm.qc.ca
  • Frederic DALLAIRE Assistant de recherche Research Assistant Frederic.Dallaire@ircm.qc.ca
  • Maria Del Carmen ROMERO MEDINA Stagiaire postdoctoral Postdoctoral Fellow Maria.Del.Carmen.Romero.Medina@ircm.qc.ca
  • Marjorie GUILLEMIN Collaboratrice externe External Collaborator marjorie.guillemin@ircm.qc.ca
  • Nawaf Aloufi Étudiant au doctorat Phd Student nawaf.aloufi@ircm.qc.ca
  • Robert LODGE Chercheur associé Research Associate Robert.Lodge@ircm.qc.ca
  • Sharmin BEGUM Stagiaire postdoctoral Postdoctoral Fellow Sharmin.Begum@ircm.qc.ca
  • Tram PHAM Chercheuse associée chevronnée Senior Research Associate Tram.Pham@ircm.qc.ca
Affiliations
  • Director, Human Retrovirology Research Unit, IRCM
  • Vice-Dean, Faculty Affairs and Academic Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal
  • Professor, Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal
  • Adjunct Professor, Department of Medicine (Division of Experimental Medicine) and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University
  • Recipient of the Université de Montréal – IRCM Chair of Excellence in HIV Research 

Other affiliations

  • Leader and nominated principal investigator, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Team in HIV Cure: The Canadian HIV Cure Enterprise (CanCURE) 
Degrees and experience
  • PhD in molecular biology, Université de Montréal
  • Postdoctoral fellowship, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, USA
  • Member, CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Advisory Committee (CHARAC), 2010-2016
  • Member, Steering committee , CIHR Canadian HIV Trial Network (CTN) 
  • Member, Scientific Committee, AIDS and infectious Disease Network, Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé 
Publications

Canadian HIV Cure Enterprise (CanCURE)

The Canadian HIV Cure Enterprise (CanCURE) is a research collaborator focused on studying HIV persistence and developing strategies towards a functional HIV Cure. Our innovative scientific program is supported by the Canadian Initiative for HIV Cure Research, created through a partnership between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR), and the International AIDS Society (IAS).

The team's mission contributes significantly to Canada's federal initiative to fight HIV/AIDS. We remain deeply determined to stop its natural course of infection worldwide. CanCURE’s mission is to study mechanisms governing HIV persistence in order to develop effective therapeutic strategies aiming towards a cure for HIV/AIDS. Research endeavors concentrate on the role and contribution of myeloid cells (i.e. monocytes and macrophages) in HIV persistence, an understudied but important reservoir for the virus. This collaborative project combines the efforts of prominent Canadian investigators, as well as a community liaison presenting the perspective of individuals living with HIV.

Important Discoveries

Tools

 
Press review
Press review
  • La 24e Conférence internationale sur le sida s’ouvre à Montréal Radio-Canada Info 27 July 2022
  • Trouver où se cache le virus du sida pour enfin le guérir Le Journal de Montréal 25 July 2022
  • VIH: un septième cas de guérison probable 98,5FM 19 July 2024
Grants
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) – Foundation program 2017 – FDN 154324 “Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-host interactions: from mechanisms of viral persistence to infection control”.  
  • E.A. Cohen (Program Leader), 2017-2024
  • Réseau Thématique du Fond de recherche du Québec –Santé (FRQS) “Réseau SIDA et maladies infectieuses” 
  • M. Wainberg (Director), M. Roger (co-Director), C. Tremblay (co-Director), E.A. Cohen (Principal Applicant, HIV axis), N. Shoukry (Principal Applicant, HCV axis), F. Coutlée (Principal Applicant, HPV axis), 2017-2021
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) – Strategic Team- OVV -152411 : Optimizing the VSV vector towards an HIV vaccine. “Development of a safe, effective and clinically acceptable VSV-based HIV vaccine” 
  • G.  Kobinger (Nominated Principal Applicant), E. Arts, B. Blake, C. Creuzenet, E.A Cohen, J. Dikeakos, J. Estaquier, K. Fowke, B. Gaillet, Y. Gao, A. Garnier, R. Gilbert, A. Kamen, C.-Y. Kang, J. Mann, T. Racine, M. J. Tremblay, X-J Yao. (Co-Applicant), 2017-2020
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) – HIG133050 Team Grant; HIV Cure initiative “The Canadian HIV Cure Enterprise (CanCURE)”
  • E.A. Cohen (Nominated Principal Investigator and Team Leader) Principal Investigators: Ancuta, P., Angel, J., Estaquier, J., Fowke, K., Mouland, A., Ostrowski, M., Routy, J.-P., Tremblay, M.J, 17 Co-applicants and 1 Knowledge User, 2014-2018
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) – Team Grant: HIV/Aids Comorbidities Prevention and Healthy Living 2018-01-23, “Canadian HIV-Ageing Multidisciplinary Programmatic Strategy (CHAMPS) in NeuroHIV”
  • C. Power (Program Leader), E. Fujiwara (Principal Applicant), E.A. Cohen (Co-Applicant), J. Gill, T. Hobman, L. Rubin, N. Seidah, 2018- 2023
Recognitions and honors
  • Fellow, the Academy of Sciences, Royal Society of Canada, 2016
  • Fellow, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, 2016
  • Université de Montréal – IRCM Chair of Excellence in HIV Research (2015-2022)
  • Pierre-Bois Excellence Award, IRCM Foundation, 2014
  • Marcel-Piché Award, IRCM, 2012
  • Canada Research Chair in Human Retrovirology (Tier 1), 2001-2015

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514 987-5804
eric.cohen@ircm.qc.ca

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