Potent antimicrobial found that shows promise in fighting staph infections

November 25, 2019

Research led by scientists from McMaster University has yielded a potent antimicrobial that works against the toughest infectious disease strains. The find could be the beginning of developing new therapeutics to combat drug-resistant infections. The discovery is important as it is directly related to the development of Staphylococcus aureus diseases, known popularly as staph infections, which are the leading cause of the growing global danger of antimicrobial resistance, particularly the Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains which are becoming resistant to all current antibiotics.

Fight Back…Waging war against antimicrobial resistance

November 21, 2019 by McMaster Daily News

Fight Back…Waging war against antimicrobial resistance…Gairdner Video, featuring Lori Burrows

Lori Burrows, Interview (Video), CTV News

November 13, 2019 by CTV News Article

Antibiotic-resistant infections could destroy our way of life: New report

November 12, 2019

Humanity’s defences against infection are wearing thinner by the day, and the microbes responsible are getting stronger. One in four infections is already resistant to antibiotics and other known forms of treatment, and 5,400 Canadians died last year from infections that until recently had been treatable. That’s according to a comprehensive peer-reviewed report presented by the Council of Canadian Academies this week.

Researchers discover new toxin that impedes bacterial growth

November 6, 2019

An international research collaboration has discovered a new bacteria-killing toxin that shows promise of impacting superbug infectious diseases. The discovery of this growth-inhibiting toxin, which bacteria inject into rival bacteria to gain a competitive advantage, was published today in the journal Nature.

McMaster Researchers Find New Way to Treat Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria

October 31, 2019 by McMaster IIDR

McMaster researchers find new way to find antibiotics in dirt

September 13, 2019

Discovery of ‘kingpin’ stem cell may help in the understanding of cancerous tumours

June 3, 2019

A team of McMaster researchers has discovered a unique subset of cells within human stem cells that appear to signal how the surrounding cells will develop and grow.

Mothers’ Microbes Modulate Metabolism During Pregnancy

May 28, 2019

Investigators from Canada’s McMaster University have recently found that microbes in the maternal intestine may contribute to an impairment of the gut barrier during pregnancy.

McMaster receives $8.45M in health research funding

March 14, 2019

McMaster University is receiving $8.45 million from the federal government to support 13 health research projects.

Gut bacteria that are changed by diet play key role in increased risk of diabetes: McMaster researchers

November 8, 2018 by Tina Depko

McMaster University researchers have found that gut bacteria, modified by diet, plays a role in elevated blood glucose, which is the primary indicator of Type 2 diabetes. Based on research in mice, the data showed that while an obesity-causing diet altered gut bacteria within days, it took more than a month for these new gut bacteria to change blood glucose.

McMaster researchers discover covert tactics used by bacteria to trick human immune system

October 23, 2018

McMaster University researchers have found a new way bacteria evade the human immune system and promote infection. Comparing two strains of Salmonella – one that causes disease in humans and the other in reptiles – researchers discovered a covert way that the human-affecting bacteria essentially tricks the immune system into not attacking.

McMaster study identifies an unexpected cell population key to blood cancer relapse

September 10, 2018

McMaster University researchers have provided evidence of new cancerous cells they have termed cancer regenerating cells, which are responsible for the return of acute myeloid leukemia after remission. Current therapy is effective at inducing remission in adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia, but most patients later succumb after a relapse. That relapse has been thought to be caused by rare and dormant cancer stem cells that escape chemotherapy.

Changing the way we search for antibiotics - with a $200, 3D-printed box

August 29, 2018

A small, black box developed in a McMaster University lab could change the way scientists search for new antibiotics. The Printed Fluorescence Imaging Box - or PFIbox, for short - is capable of collecting massive amounts of data that will help researchers in the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research in their quest to discover new antibiotics.

MacMillan and Brown named Distinguished University Professor

April 9, 2018

Two faculty members are being recognized for their outstanding leadership with the title of Distinguished University Professor.

Mysteries of DNA explained in McMaster's Massive Online Open Course

March 6, 2018

The public conversation is loaded with references to​DNA through news and drama featuring criminal investigations, home-testing kits that tell us about our health and ancestry, and new advances in science.

McMaster researchers unravel genetic mystery linked to complex brain disorders, including autism

March 1, 2018

A study led by researchers at McMaster University has pinpointed a gene that is linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism.

Coombes named Chair of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

January 22, 2018

Brian Coombes has been appointed the chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Coombes is a professor of biochemistry and biomedical sciences. He also holds the Canada Research Chair in Infectious Disease Pathogenesis and is a University Scholar.

Coombes named acting chair

September 25, 2017

Brian Coombes has been named acting chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences.