Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research

Streptomyces uses both polar and dispersed cell wall synthesis during exploratory growth - Nature Microbiology Streptomyces venezuelae requires MreB1-dependent dispersed peptidoglycan cell wall synthesis and DivIVA-mediated polar cell wall synthesis during its rapid exploratory growth phase.

#NewResearch

Streptomyces use both polar and dispersed cell wall synthesis during rapid, exploratory growth @mcmasteriidr.bsky.social

#BacteriaCellWall #MicroSky 🦠

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Two McMaster researchers awarded prestigious HFSP grants At a Hamilton-area daycare, Lindsay Kalan and Jonathan Cannon pass each other in the parking lot at dropoff. They smile, nod, and carry on with . . .

Congratulations to IIDR member @lkalan.bsky.social, who has received a prestigious @hfspo.bsky.social grant. The new funding will power a study that could, for the first time ever, lead to the definitive characterization of a functional human pheromone.

brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/two...

Eight remarkable professors named University Scholars Eight McMaster professors have been named 2025 University Scholars, in recognition of their research leadership and the impact of their work. University Scholars are mid-career . . .

Congrats to IIDR Director Matthew Miller on being named University Scholar, a prestigious title bestowed upon mid-career researchers for their international achievements, commitment to knowledge, excellence in education, and dedication to the community. 👏

brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/uni...

🦠 Clinical Trial Update 🦠

McMaster University's inhaled COVID-19 #vaccine safely generates immune responses associated with protection in the lungs, according to phase-1 clinical trial data published in Nature Communications. Our inhaled vaccine is now in ongoing phase-2 trials. Learn more 👇

IIDR researchers have discovered that a single gene in Yersinia pestis — the bacteria that causes bubonic #plague — was responsible for keeping pandemics like the Black Death burning for hundreds of years. Learn more about this evolutionary phenomenon in our all-new explainer video. #IDSky

Mark Loeb receives prestigious lifetime achievement award for infectious disease research McMaster Professor has received a 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada.

Congratulations to IIDR member Mark Loeb, who recently received the AMMI Canada Lifetime Achievement Award! 👏

brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/mar...

Exciting work by @gdwantibiotics.bsky.social and team, with a new molecule that is toxic to bacteria - a promising new candidate for new antibiotics!

YouTube video by McMaster University Drug discovery: McMaster researchers find new antibiotic

The last time a new class of antibiotics reached the market was nearly three decades ago — but that could soon change, thanks to a discovery by researchers at McMaster University.

@gdwantibiotics.bsky.social | #IDsky

youtu.be/657Kitrc0Co?...

Heeding the lessons of COVID-19 in the face of avian influenza COVID-19 exposed the many ways in which we were ill-prepared to prevent and respond to pandemics. Are we applying those lessons to prevent a bird flu pandemic?

In a new op-ed for @theconversationca.bsky.social, IIDR Director Matthew Miller writes that as "we stand on the brink of an avian influenza pandemic," lessons learned from COVID-19 can help us avert disaster — but only if we act on them. #IDSKy #H5N1 #BirdFlu

theconversation.com/heeding-the-...

Today, on the five-year anniversary of the WHO's pandemic declaration, we're proud to commence Phase-II human trials on our inhaled aerosol vaccine. Learn more about this exciting next-gen vaccine candidate, including how to enrol in the ongoing study. 👇

healthsci.mcmaster.ca/made-at-mcma...

McMaster researchers discover way to make drug-resistant bacteria vulnerable to common antibiotic Depriving deadly drug-resistant pathogens of key nutrients alters their physiology, researchers find.

McMaster researchers have discovered a way to make drug-resistant bacteria vulnerable to a common antibiotic.

@megantu.bsky.social #IDSky #AMR

brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/mcm...

McMaster researchers use AI tech to unveil key mechanism of bacterial warfare The findings reveal how the sophisticated secretion system of bacteria selects diverse proteins to keep their competitors at bay.

McMaster researchers have uncovered new details about how certain bacteria secrete potent toxins — important weapons in their eons-old war with other microbes. #IDSky

brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/mcm...

How an Ontario Startup Is Fighting Superbugs With AI - Macleans.ca Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are overpowering existing treatments. One Hamilton-based lab is using medical AI to fight back.

New from @macleans.bsky.social: How IIDR member Jon Stokes is working at the intersect of academia and industry to get new antibiotics to the finish line faster. #IDSky

macleans.ca/society/heal...

Government of Canada invests $4M in McMaster to fast-track drug discovery initiatives The funding will support the establishment of a research centre that will significantly expand the university’s capacity for research, partnerships and training to drive new therapies to market.

The Government of Canada announced today a $4M investment in Global Nexus, which will be leveraged for bold new drug discovery and development initiatives at McMaster.

brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/fed...

McMaster postdoc receives prestigious European fellowship Stephen Garrett has received a prestigious fellowship from the European Molecular Biology Organization worth more than $134,000.

Postdoc Stephen Garrett is here from the UK on a prestigious fellowship, studying toxins secreted by bacteria to kill other bacteria. #IDSky #MicroSky

brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/mcm...

Hey #IDSky, #Microsky and #ImmunoSky - I'm so pleased that @mcmasteriidr.bsky.social and @mcmasternexus.bsky.social are now here, as well as microbiologists extraordinaire @gdwantibiotics.bsky.social @dr-lori-burrows.bsky.social and @lkalan.bsky.social - get these folks in some #starterpacks!

Congratulations to Dr. Victoria Coles - she's continuing her fight against #AMR from the policy side with her new role at CIHR's Institute of Infection and Immunity 🦠🎓

YouTube video by McMaster University Ants and antibiotics: How insects could help beat drug-resistant superbugs

Putting the 'ant' in antibiotic discovery: how IIDR researchers are harnessing an eons-old relationship between ants, fungi, and bacteria to find new antimicrobial medicines. #AMR #WorldAMRAwarenessWeek

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpt9...