Lab Information
Marcel Behr (MD/MSc)
Senior ScientistCentre for Translational Biology
Department of Medicine (McGill)
Research Profile
https://mcgill.ca/molepi
Keywords
Tuberculosis • molecular epidemiology • bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine • innate immunity • Crohn's diseaseResearch Interests
- Genomic studies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex organisms. We study the genome of the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis, along with that of the live vaccine strain given to prevent tuberculosis. The goal of this research is to exploit the existence of naturally occurring mutants of these organisms in order to understand the pathogenesis of this disease.
- Molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis. Using genetic markers, we are able to track clones of Mycobacterium tuberculosis providing an opportunity for refined understanding of its spread among human populations and better application of control strategies.
- Genomic studies of Mycobacterium avium. Using the same platforms developed for research activity 1, we are trying to understand the genomic composition of environmental mycobacteria that can cause human disease, with the goal of developing better diagnostic tests and applying these to epidemiologic investigations.
- Host recognition of mycobacterial infection. Using a combination of bacterial genetics and synthetic chemistry, we are studying the role of host pattern recognition receptors, especially NOD2, during mycobacterial infection.
- Investigation of the potential role of mycobacteria in Crohn's disease. Using our understanding of Mycobacterium avium and our investigations of the processes used by the host for recognition of mycobacterial infection, we aim to determine whether a dysfunctional host-mycobacterial interaction plays a primary or secondary role in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease.
Team Members
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Latest Publications
- Garcia-Basteiro, A. L., Ehrlich, J., Bonnet, M., Calnan, M., Graham, S. M., Hermans, S., Jarrett, A., Lewa, R., Mandalakas, A., Martinez, L., Migliori, G. B., Ong, C. W. M., Otero, L., Rangaka, M. X., Raviglione, M. C. B., Seaworth, B., Ssengooba, W., Theron, G., Trajman, A. & Behr, M. A. (2024). A Global Tuberculosis Dictionary: unified terms and definitions for the field of tuberculosis. The Lancet. Global health, vol. 12, p. e737-e739.
- Bannantine, J. P., Duffy, S. C., Colombatti Olivieri, M. A., Behr, M. A., Biet, F. & Price, N. P. J. (2024). Genetic and chemical control of tuberculostearic acid production in Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis. Microbiology spectrum, p. e0050824.
- Biet, F., Conde, C., Cochard, T., Mcintoch, F. A., Behr, M. A. & Bannantine, J. P. (2024). Complete genome sequence of an ovine ancestral strain of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis 6756. Microbiology resource announcements, vol. 13, p. e0120723.
- Duffy, S. C., Marais, B., Kapur, V. & Behr, M. A. (2024). Zoonotic tuberculosis in the 21st century. The Lancet. Infectious diseases, vol. 24, p. 339-341.
- Danchuk, S. N., Solomon, O. E., Kohl, T. A., Dreyer, V., Barilar, I., Utpatel, C., Niemann, S., Soolingen, D. V., Anthony, R., van Ingen, J., Michael, J. S. & Behr, M. A. (2024). Challenging the gold standard: the limitations of molecular assays for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis heteroresistance. Thorax.
- White, R. G., Fiore-Gartland, A. J., Hanekom, W. A., Vekemans, J., Garcia-Basteiro, A. L., Churchyard, G., Rangaka, M. X., Frick, M., Behr, M. A., Hill, P. C. & Mave, V. (2024). What is next for BCG revaccination to prevent tuberculosis?. The Lancet. Respiratory medicine, vol. 12, p. e7-e8.
- Maqsood, R., Duffy, S. C., Bin Rashid, H., Gill, S. S., Jabeen, C., Arshad, N., Umbreen, G., Behr, M. A., Kapur, V. & Chaudhry, M. (2024). Molecular detection and characterization of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex subspecies responsible for bovine tuberculosis in Punjab, Pakistan. Microbiology spectrum, vol. 12, p. e0269223.
- Harrison, L. B., Kapur, V. & Behr, M. A. (2024). An imputed ancestral reference genome for the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex better captures structural genomic diversity for reference-based alignment workflows. Microbial genomics, vol. 10.
- Hill, P. C., Cobelens, F., Martinez, L., Garcia-Basteiro, A. L., Behr, M. A., Rangaka, M. X., Churchyard, G., Evans, T., Hanekom, W. & White, R. G. (2024). Reply to McShane. The Journal of infectious diseases, vol. 229, p. 616.
- Duffy, S. C., Lupien, A., Elhaji, Y., Farag, M., Marcus, V. & Behr, M. A. (2023). Establishment of persistent enteric mycobacterial infection following streptomycin pre-treatment. Gut pathogens, vol. 15, p. 46.
See also
