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 Join
us on Tuesday November 15 in the Hamilton Spectator auditorium
as we celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Canadian Institutes
of Health Research
From pathogen to pandemic: how science
is responding to infectious threats
Many scientists believe that it is only a matter
of time until the next influenza pandemic occurs. There are
scientists in our city who are regarded as world experts in
the field of infectious diseases and the development of vaccines
that might one day offer the best protection against viruses
such as the avian flu.
Our panel of experts will share their research, beginning with
anthropologist Hendrik
Poinar, who will discuss how these diseases evolve
and how this knowledge is used to develop vaccines.
Scientist Jonathan
Bramson will outline the challenges researchers
face developing a vaccine for the flu viruses that change from
year to year and the issues confronting the developers of a
vaccine for avian flu.
Infectious disease specialist Mark
Loeb will discuss vaccine strategies: are we vaccinating
the right people? what’s the best way to vaccinate? what’s
the latest research on the threat of an influenza pandemic?
This is a free public lecture. All are welcome!
Tuesday November 15, 2005
Hamilton Spectator Auditorium
Doors open @ 6:30 pm
Lecture begins at 7:00 pm
Seating is limited, so to reserve your seat please:
e-mail sciencecity@mcmaster.ca
or by voicemail: 905-525-9140 x 24934
The Hamilton Spectator Auditorium is located in the Hamilton
Spectator at 44 Frid Street, south of Main St. W., west of Dundurn
St. 
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|  Hendrik
Poinar, assistant professor in the departments
of Anthropology,
and Pathology
and Molecular Medicine is a molecular evolutionary
geneticist and biological anthropologist by training.
He has received international acclaim and media attention
for his research on two fronts: the discoveries he’s
made about ancient humans from their fossilized remains;
and the work he’s done determining the timing
and origin of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
from some of the oldest samples of archival HIV, collected
between 1959 and 1980.
Jonathan Bramson received
his PhD in Experimental Medicine from McGill University
and is currently an assistant professor in McMaster's
Department
of Pathology and Molecular Medicine. Prior to his
appointment at McMaster, Jonathan worked as a project
leader at InexPharmaceuticals, a leader in lipid-based
drug delivery. The Bramson lab is investigating the
mechanisms by which viruses activate and imprint the
immune response. These studies are being applied to
the development of recombinant viral vaccines for cancer
and infectious diseases. He is the recipient of a Premier's
Research Excellence Award and a Career Scientist Award
from the Rx&D Foundation.
Mark Loeb is an Associate
Professor in the Departments of Clinical
Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Pathology
and Molecular Medicine. He graduated from McGill
Medical School in 1990 then completed a fellowship in
Internal Medicine at the University of Toronto (1993),
a combined fellowship in Infectious Diseases and Medical
Microbiology at McMaster (1996), and a research fellowship
at the University of Toronto (1997). An infectious diseases
specialist and medical microbiologist, Dr. Loeb is Scientific
Director of the Canadian SARS Research Network and is
leading the first Canadian cohort study of patients
with severe West Nile Virus.
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