MI4 - Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

MTL Marathon 2026 | Run for a Cause, Run for MI4

ina.muntean-bors@mcgill.ca — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 16:34:15 +0000

The ɬ�﷬ Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4), in partnership with the ɬ�﷬ Health Centre Foundation (MUHCF), is assembling a team of 5–7 runners to represent MI4 at the upcoming Montreal Marathon and help support our mission to advance infectious disease research.

MI4 Highlights Series | From Opportunity to Impact: Building a World-Class ILD Research Team

ina.muntean-bors@mcgill.ca — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 19:43:59 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, we sat down with Deborah Assayag, MD, FRCPC, Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at ɬ�﷬’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, to reflect on her journey from dedicating her career to interstitial lung diseases to leading one of Department of Medicine’s Emerging World Class Teams, as recognized in 2024.

To better understand the evolution of her work, and the momentum behind one of the most prominent emerging teams, we asked Dr. Assayag four questions.

Your research in interstitial lung diseases (ILD) has grown from focused investigation to leading a multidisciplinary team recognized as one of ɬ�﷬ DOM’s Emerging World Class Teams. How has MI4’s support contributed to your team’s development and success?

MI4 was absolutely instrumental in putting our team together. My colleagues and I came up with this idea of studying autoimmunity and interstitial lung disease across different ɬ�﷬ sites, something that hasn’t been done before, and MI4 was our first funder. We didn’t have any collaborations before MI4, and with the help of the initiative, we were able to put together a team of researchers from the Lady Davis Institute, the Research Institute at MUHC, ɬ�﷬, and other partners institutions, breaking the silo that had long separated the expertise. From there, we recruited students, built a research registry, established a biobank, and started analyzing samples from patients. The last six or seven years of my career trajectory have been shaped by this research, and MI4 played a critical role in it.

Being named an Emerging World Class Team is a major milestone. What does that recognition mean to you personally — and what does it signal about the importance of ILD research for patients and the field?

It was a very eye-opening, but also humbling experience to apply for the world-class team competition. ILD (interstitial lung disease) is a fairly rare disease, less common than many other chronic lung diseases. I made my entire career about ILD, and seeing our team receive such an honour – Emerging World-Class Team – made me feel that ILD is finally being recognized as a very serious and devastating illness. We are now partnering with the Canadian Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, a non-profit organization, to raise awareness around the topic, an effort that 20 years ago was almost inexistent.

Looking back at your trajectory from ILD-focused projects to leading a high-impact research network, what has surprised you most about the strengths and potential of your team?

What surprised me the most was how incredibly talented some of our researchers are, both in interstitial lung diseases and immunology. We have a colleague who is currently developing lung tissue on a chip to improve patient life and treatment outcomes. We have collaborators who are excellent immunologists, recognized worldwide for their work in autoimmune rheumatic disease. It’s been a humbling experience and an incredible strength to work alongside them.

If you could sum up the journey of your ILD research and team evolution — especially through your partnership with MI4 — in one sentence, what would it be?

You must grab the opportunities when they pass you by.

Thank You for Being Part of the MI4-AMR 7th Scientific Symposium

ina.muntean-bors@mcgill.ca — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 20:01:30 +0000

We kicked off with a compelling keynote by Professor Stewart Cole, who provided a tour of the global TB and AMR landscape and the urgent need for collaborative action. His presentation set the perfect stage for the distinguished local experts who followed.

Empowering Research: Microbiomes and Rheumatic Diseases Seed Fund Grant Recipients

ina.muntean-bors@mcgill.ca — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 18:28:01 +0000

The M-RD SFG program supports innovative projects that address how specific microbes or microbial communities (microbiomes) at any barrier tissue such as the lung, gut or skin impact the etiology, course, or treatment of Rheumatic Diseases such as arthritis, lupus, vasculitis, systemic sclerosis and other Rheumatologic diseases.

The competition was open to ɬ�﷬-based investigators, funding $150,000 for a project period of up to 24 months.

We are pleased to announce the winning team, as follows:

Four Interdisciplinary Projects Selected for the GHP-MI4 Steinberg Seed Fund Grant Competition

ina.muntean-bors@mcgill.ca — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 13:21:18 +0000

The ɬ�﷬ Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4) and the ɬ�﷬ Global Health Programs (GHP) are pleased to announce the four winning teams of the GHP-MI4 Steinberg Seed Fund Grant Competition. Launched in March 2025, this initiative aimed to catalyze interdisciplinary, impact-driven research that addresses major global health challenges through the lens of infectious and immune-mediated diseases.