No images? Click here
SPP-ARC Newsletter
February 2026
Upcoming Events
Integrated Trainee Seminar
Join us on Wednesday Feb 25 to hear about some of the exciting research at SPP-ARC. This month’s presenters are:
- Julia May (Baldwin Lab): High-content flow cytometric comparison of immune responses following administration of SARS-CoV2 Spike (S) protein via viral vector and mRNA vaccine platforms
- Reshmi Ramakrishnan (Das Lab): Using AI to design peptide and small-molecule inhibitors targeting Influenza A Hemagglutinin
Featured Publication - Antivirals
SPP-ARC members together with collaborators from the University of Saskatchewan and the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Organization identified a number of key host factors that may be targeted as novel therapies against. A high throughput genetic screen revealed a large number of druggable human proteins that when inhibited with pre-existing drugs, significantly reduced replication of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, multiple drugs that targeted the host factors protected against severe disease in small animals for severe COVID. Finally, a number of the identified host factors were shown to be important for replication of other coronaviruses and mosquito-transmitted viruses. Accordingly, this study demonstrates the potential utility of targeting host factors as a broad spectrum antiviral strategy to combat emerging and endemic viral pathogens.
Publications
SPP-ARC members continue to carry out impactful research. Some of our most recent publications include:
- Poxviral Bcl-2 proteins: multifunctional manipulators of the host cell. - Smyth, S., Dong, J., Melvie, G., & Ingham, R. J. (2026). Biochemical Society Transactions, 54(2).
- Vaccines mimicking conformational epitopes on α-synuclein fibrils provide immunity to Parkinson’s disease – Ma, L., Reithofer, S., Pesch, V., Flores-Fernandez, J. M., Sriraman, A., Duckering, C., Amidian, S., Özdüzenciler, P., Müller, L., Wille, H., & Tamgüney, G. (2026). Brain.
- Molecular mechanisms of respiratory syncytial virus pathogenesis.- Granoski, M. J., Stojic, A., Lee, S. Z., & Marchant, D. J. (2025). Annual Review of Pathology Mechanisms of Disease, 21(1), 269–294.
In the News
Mentorship as a two-way street: an interview with Uwa, a doctoral student in the School of Public Health
For Black History Month, SPP-ARC trainee Uwa Iyamu (Yanow Lab) chatted with YouAlberta’s editorial team about the non-research skills he picked up while doing his research and the resources that helped him succeed.
Worst bird-flu season in years hits Alberta’s poultry farmers
Kathy Magor SPP-ARC member, spoke with CBC’s Collin Gallant about the bird flu situation in Alberta, biosafety challenges, and the importance of continued research in this area.
New drug target offers hope in fight against antibiotic-resistant E. coli
Joanne Lemieux, SPP-ARC member, spoke with Folio’s editorial team about her team’s recent study on E. coli-related UTIs, a newly identified drug target, and the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance.
Introduction to R: An interdisciplinary approach to data analysis training
SPP-ARC kicked off its first Bioinformatics workshop of the year with Laura Gray-Steinhauer at the helm! This workshop helped trainees sharpen their skills and added to the consortium’s shared knowledge across different fields.
To submit stories or events for the SPP-ARC Newsletter, please email Imole Lapite, Communications Coordinator at imoleogo@ualberta.ca at least one week before the third Friday of each month.
