McMaster researcher wins $19m U.S. contract to examine West Nile virus

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Loeb_Mark.jpg” caption=”Mark Loeb”]A prominent Hamilton infectious disease specialist and microbiologist has been awarded a major contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), to study why some people who get West Nile virus become seriously and chronically ill, while others shrug it off.

The $19-million research project will be led by Mark Loeb, who is an associate professor in the departments of pathology and molecular medicine and clinical epidemiology and biostatistics for the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster, as well as an infectious disease specialist for Hamilton Health Sciences.

The five-year case-control study will involve West Nile virus patients from across the U.S. as well as from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Infections of West Nile virus continue to impact North America, said Loeb, adding that this year alone there were about 2,300 cases of the disease in Canada and the U.S.

“Understanding the genetic basis for susceptibility to infectious diseases is an important research priority,” he said. “If we can identify the genetic predisposition to this virus, we can potentially develop effective therapies as well as find ways to prevent it, such as vaccines.”

John Kelton, dean of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences, said the importance of this study cannot be underestimated.

“We believe this is the largest NIH grant to a Canadian university in many years. A non-U.S. study is only funded if no one in the U.S. has the credentials for the project,” he said. “This is a major vote of confidence in Canadian researchers.”

He added: “Examining why some people are predisposed to certain infectious diseases is the start of important work, not just for this one disease, but for other infectious diseases. At McMaster we're known for our innovation, and this is a important example of our developments in this area.”

This week, Loeb also received a $380,000 grant from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) for a separate four-year study of West Nile virus, looking at the long-term impacts of severe infection.

He is following 100 patients with severe West Nile virus over the course of a year to find out how it affects their quality of life, mental health, fatigue levels, upper limb movement and neurological functioning. His study will give patients, their families and health care professionals a better understanding of the prognosis for those who are severely affected by West Nile virus and help them to set realistic goals for therapy.

Last year, Loeb headed a team, which produced Canada's first study on West Nile virus, identifying the prevalence of West Nile virus infection in the residents of several Oakville neighbourhoods with Canada's highest rates of the disease. Loeb's research has included work on respiratory infections and antibiotic resistance in nursing home residents, as well as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). He is the scientific director of the Canadian SARS Research Network.

West Nile virus has been in North America since 1999 and is spread by a bite from an infected mosquito, which gets the virus after feeding on an infected bird. In 2002, it was related to 17 Ontario deaths and almost 400 illnesses.

Murray Martin, president and CEO of Hamilton Health Sciences of Hamilton, said: “Advancing health care through research and education is part of our mission as an academic teaching hospital. We commend Dr. Mark Loeb, a world-class infectious diseases expert who is part of our centre of health care excellence in Hamilton, for his commitment and leadership to finding better ways to help people deal with important health issues.”

Kelton added: “This is further external validation of McMaster University and our partner hospitals' central role in leading edge research in infectious disease and public health.”