Michael Houghton
Medical Microbiology & Immunology
University of Alberta
Canada
Biography
Canada Excellence Research Chair in Virology Professor, Dept. of Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Research Interest
Research is aimed at developing a HCV vaccine that can protect against the many heterogeneous forms of this virus that occur globally. Every year, many hundreds of thousands of people become infected with HCV world-wide and so there is an urgent need to develop a safe, efficacious vaccine that can be delivered conveniently to both the developed and developing worlds. Previously, vaccine candidates designed to elicit cross-neutralizing antibodies or cross-reactive T cell responses have been shown capable of partially protecting animals from experimental viral challenge but a number of key scientific issues remain. One of these concerns elucidating a system for the efficient synthesis of the envelope glycoproteins gpE1 and gpE2 and relating their structural properties with the ability to elicit cross-neutralizing antibodies. Such antibodies will be measured in cell cultures producing HCV as well as in the novel SCID-uPA mouse infection model developed by Professors Kneteman & Tyrrell and colleagues at the University of Alberta. A second key goal relates to defining immunological correlates of protection against HCV infection and will involve assessing the relative roles of neutralizing antibodies and CD4+ helper and CD8+ cytolytic T cells in the protective immune response. Mechanisms through which chronic, persistent viral infection suppresses the activity of specific cellular immune responses and co-exists despite the presence of neutralizing antibodies will also be addressed with a view to developing a role for vaccination along with antiviral drugs in treating pre-existing infected patients. The current standard-of-care for HCV patients is the combined administration of interferon-alpha and ribavirin with which approximately 50% of patients are cured. The mechanisms of action of these drugs and newer antivirals will be investigated with a view to improving their effectiveness.
