Viral and autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system – or ‘CNS’ – are often characterized by the onset of inflammation leading to neurological dysfunction, including impairments in memory and cognition. Dr. Robyn Klein at Western University in London, Ontario leads a team that specializes in neuroinflammatory diseases of the CNS. In recent years, her laboratory has been focusing on the molecular mechanisms behind inflammation and how they regulate blood-brain barrier permeability in viral and autoimmune diseases.

Bartonella bacteria, which hide in blood, skin, and many other tissues, are known to contribute to a diverse range of human diseases, with symptoms including with symptoms including – but not limited to – swollen lymph nodes, joint and back pain, skin lesions, weakness, headache, dizziness, cardiac conditions and psychiatric symptoms. Humans are exposed to Bartonella through contact with fleas, lice, sand flies, deer flies, possibly mites, spiders and ticks, and bites from infected animals.

Over the past decade or so, researchers have conducted several large-scale genetic studies employing hundreds of thousands of patients, to identify genetic variants associated with psychiatric disorders. However, very few studies have explored how these genetic variants impact molecular processes in the brain, leading to the development of various psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, major depression, or alcohol addiction.

All animals harbor a wide range of microbes, including bacteria and fungi. In the human body, microbial cells outnumber human cells by 10 to 1! Interactions between microbes affect many physiological processes within the body, including metabolism, digestion, immunity and the production of vitamins. For instance, many beneficial microbes can suppress the growth of harmful microbes within the gut. If these microbial interactions become disrupted, we can be at a greater risk of developing various diseases.

Natural killer cells, along with other lymphocytes, are responsible for finding cells that are experiencing stress. Such cellular stress can occur when a cell is infected with a virus, or when it is becoming cancerous. Natural killer cells can identify stressed cells by detecting signals on their surfaces. These signals are recognized by a suite of proteins found on the surfaces of killer cells, known as immunoreceptors. Upon detecting these signals, natural killer cells secrete toxic substances that can kill the stressed cells.

Escherichia coli – more commonly known as E. coli – is a leading cause of diarrhoea-associated hospitalisation. However, E. coli does not always cause disease. Alongside thousands of other bacterial species, E. coli lives inside and on the surface of the human body. Numerous different strains of E. coli have been identified by analysing their genomes.

Humans inherit a version of each gene – an allele – from each parent. Through standard DNA analysis, it is not possible to know which allele of a given gene came from the mother and which came from the father. Understanding which allele came from which parent is known as ‘haplotyping’ or ‘genetic phasing’. This is particularly important when a gene has multiple changes in the gene sequence – called mutations.