C difficile researchers receive $400,000 in funding

Montreal, QC – Two McGill researchers, who aim to sequence eight isolates of the bacterium in 18 months have received $400,000 in funding from Gnome Qubec and Genome Canada.

Dr Ken Dewar, assistant professor of human genetics at McGill University and investigator with the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), and Dr Andr Dascal, associate professor of medicine at McGill and infectious disease physician at the Jewish General Hospital, will be continuing their intensive research into Clostridium difficile.

This new, large-scale research project will focus on the complete sequencing of eight isolates of C difficile. Dr Dewar and his team will evaluate the genetic diversity of each strain and compare them to each other. They will also establish the repertoire of genes and proteins and seek to understand the mechanism that increases virulence or antibiotic resistance.

“The results targeted by this new study will provide basic data for other Canadian and international researchers, with the goal of developing the most effective tests to detect and diagnose C difficile,” says Dr Dewar. “In applied genomic research, each completed stage serves as a foundation for subsequent efforts to develop the best tools and strategies to fight the disease.”

Dr Dewar’s new research project continues the efforts made by McGill and its affiliated teaching hospitals in trying to understand the evolution and progression of the virulence of C difficile. Through the combined efforts of such distinguished researchers as Dr Vivian Loo, Dr Andr Dascal and Dr Sandra Dial, McGill has identified a highly virulent strain of C difficile, breaking the genetic code for C difficile in Quebec, performing the first sequencing in North America for a strain of C difficile, and establishing and confirming the link between the use of medications to reduce gastric acidity and creation of an environment conducive to colonization by the bacteria in the community.