AllerGen's 2019 Research Conference

Breakfast

Breakfast buffet

60min

Trinity Ballroom

Welcome

Welcoming words from Dr. Norman Rosenblum, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Nutrition Metabolism & Diabetes.

15min

Grand Ballroom

Norman Rosenblum

Dr. Norman Rosenblum was named Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes effective January 1, 2018. He is a professor of pediatrics, physiology, and laboratory medicine and pathobiology at the University of Toronto, and a pediatric nephrologist and senior scientist at the Research Institute of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). […]

Keynote: Dr. James Gern (University of Wisconsin)—Deciphering the Equations for Childhood Asthma(s)

Deciphering the Equations for Childhood Asthma(s)

A number of factors contribute to the risk of childhood asthma. These include genetics, viral infections and illnesses, microbial composition of the stool and airway, nutrition and exposure to allergen, stress and pollutants. This complex array of contributing factors is accompanied by a growing understanding that there are several forms (phenotypes) of childhood asthma. The current challenge is to be able to integrate exposures together with genetics and lifestyle factors, and then determine whether there are linkages to childhood asthma that differ by specific phenotype. This process is likely to lead to greater clarity in understanding causal pathways of asthma, and ultimately to new insights for prevention of wheezing illnesses and childhood asthma.

Dr. James Gern, MD, is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin.

60min

Grand Ballroom

James Gern

Dr. James E. Gern, MD, is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin. He is board-certified in Allergy and Immunology and Pediatrics, and his areas of interest include childhood allergies, asthma, food allergies, and immune deficiency. Dr. Gern leads several NIH-funded studies to define the role of viral infections in […]

Session 1: CHILD Study Overview & Impacts

A survey of the accomplishments and current status of AllerGen's CHILD Study birth cohort.

Charting CHILD’s journey: From fetus to first grade

Speaker: Dr. Malcolm Sears

Dr. Sears will provide a review of asthma birth cohorts and why CHILD was established.

CHILD’s greatest hits (Volume 1)

Speaker (and session moderator): Dr. Padmaja Subbarao

Dr. Subbarao will review important findings to date from the CHILD Study, and will discuss the gaps in knowledge that the Study will seek to answer in the future.

It takes a village: Engaging stakeholders to raise CHILD

Speaker: Dr. Meghan Azad

Dr. Azad will describe the CHID Study's stakeholder engagement strategy, and will moderate a panel discussion with stakeholder representatives regarding their experiences with and perceptions of the Study.

The panelists are the following members of the CHILD Study Knowledge Mobilization Stakeholder Advisory Committee:

• Zak Bhamani, Director, Products & Services, TELUS Health
• Mary-Ellen Rayner, Chief Partnerships and Communications Officer, The Sandbox Project
• Lisa Wolff, Director, Policy & Education, UNICEF Canada

55min

Grand Ballroom

Malcolm Sears

Dr. Malcolm Sears, MB, ChB, FRACP, FRCPC, FAAAAI, is an internationally-renowned respirologist and epidemiologist. He is a professor in the Division of Respirology, Department of Medicine, at McMaster University, and Founding Director of the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study. He is involved in many studies investigating the epidemiology and natural history of asthma […]

Padmaja Subbarao

Dr. Padmaja Subbarao, MD, M.Sc., FRCP(C), FAAP, LMCC, is Staff Respirologist at The Hospital for Sick Children; a Scientist in Physiology & Experimental Medicine at the SickKids Research Institute; an Associate Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto; and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Respirology at McMaster University. She is also the Director of […]

Meghan Azad

Dr. Meghan Azad, PhD, is Assistant Professor in Pediatrics & Child Health at the University of Manitoba; Research Scientist at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba; Population Health Pillar co-Lead for the Manitoba Developmental Origins of Chronic Diseases in Children Network (DEVOTION). She is also co-leader of the Manitoba site of the CHILD Study […]

Zak Bhamani

Zak Bhamani is a member of the CHILD Study KMb Stakeholder Committee. He is Director of Corporate Development in TELUS Health and Payment Solutions. In that role, he supports TELUS Health’s M&A activities and strategic projects. Previously, he helped develop TELUS’s portfolio in consumer health and patient engagement capabilities. He has also worked with Delisle […]

Mary-Ellen Rayner

Mary-Ellen Rayner is a member of the CHILD Study KMb Stakeholder Committee. She specializes in communications and partnerships at The Sandbox Project, a national charity that fosters cross-sector collaboration toward improved child and youth health and wellbeing in Canada. She works with Sandbox’s national network of charities, researchers, youth, policymakers and corporate Canada to help […]

Lisa Wolff

Lisa Wolff is a member of the CHILD Study KMb Stakeholder Committee. She is Director, Policy and Education for UNICEF Canada. She has worked in the organization for more than a decade directing the domestic education and policy programs, which advance the rights of Canada’s children to develop to their fullest potential, consistent with international […]

Break

Break for coffee and networking.

25mins

Trinity Ballroom

Trainee Oral Presentations #1

The first round of one-minute, one-slide presentations by trainees, corresponding to entries in the conference's Poster Competition, spanning the full spectrum of research within the AllerGen network. See the Poster Competition Book of Abstracts.

Moderator: Dr. Gail Gauvreau

30mins

Grand Ballroom

Gail Gauvreau

Dr. Gail Gauvreau, PhD, is a Professor of Respirology at McMaster University and Co-Director of AllerGen’s Clinical Investigator Collaborative, a multi-centred, Canadian-based, Phase II clinical trials group that fast-tracks potential drug candidates for the treatment of asthma. Dr. Gauvreau completed her BSc/MSc at the University of Guelph, her PhD at McMaster University and a Postdoctoral […]

Session 2: CHILD Study Sites & Participant Experiences

Site leaders for the CHILD Study will discuss what's unique about each site, including sub-studies that are site-specific, and families participating in the Study will speak of their experiences as the on-the-ground heroes of this longitudinal birth cohort study.

Session moderator: Dr. Allan Becker

A unique Canadian cohort

Speaker: Dr. Meghan Azad

Dr. Azad, co-leader of the Manitoba site of the CHILD Study, will provide a short description of the core study: the protocols followed and the data collected across all four sites.

Sleep studies & neurodevelopment in the Edmonton cohort

Speaker: Dr. Piush Mandhane

Dr. Mandhane will describe the specialized studies on sleep and neurodevelopment being uniquely pursued at the Edmonton site of the Study, and will share related findings to date.

Physiologic phenotyping in the Toronto cohort

Speaker: Dr. Theo Moraes

Dr. Moraes will describe the added studies uniquely conducted at the Toronto site, and how they have added to our understanding of physiology in phenotyping.

CHILD participants give the REAL SCOOP: What is it like to be part of CHILD?

Moderator: Ms. Linda Warner

Ms. Warner will moderate and contribute to a panel discussion in which the following CHILD Study families will share their experiences with and perceptions of the Study:

• Vancouver participants: Maxime Doucas-Mooy | Natasha Doucas | Robert Mooy
• Edmonton participants: Sara Celemin | Tatiana Celemin | Reuben Celemin
• Winnipeg participants: Lily Raine Hoffman | Harmoni Hoffman | Eric Hoffman
• Toronto participants: Brynn Eddie | Kat Kinch | Aaron Eddie

60 mins

Grand Ballroom

Allan Becker

Dr. Allan Becker, MD, FRCPC, is Professor and Head of the Section of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba. His primary research interest is the origins of allergy and asthma and other chronic, non-communicable diseases in early life. He has led several birth cohorts […]

Meghan Azad

Dr. Meghan Azad, PhD, is Assistant Professor in Pediatrics & Child Health at the University of Manitoba; Research Scientist at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba; Population Health Pillar co-Lead for the Manitoba Developmental Origins of Chronic Diseases in Children Network (DEVOTION). She is also co-leader of the Manitoba site of the CHILD Study […]

Piush Mandhane

Dr. Piush Mandhane, MD, PhD, FRCPC is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry – Pediatrics Department in University of Alberta. His research focuses on pediatric health, child development and epidemiology. Dr. Mandhane is the principal investigator of the CIHR-funded projects such as “SLEEP-E: Neurodevelopment at 2 years of age” and “Sleep, […]

Theo Moraes

Dr. Theo Moraes, MD, PhD, FRCPC, is a Staff Respirologist at The Hospital for Sick Children, a Scientist in the Program for Translational Medicine at the SickKids Research Institute, and an Associate Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. He is also the Toronto site leader for the CHILD Study. Dr. Moraes is interested […]

Linda Warner

Linda Warner, RN, BScN, CCRP, is the Senior Clinical Research Coordinator of the CHILD Study Vancouver site and works for the UBC Dept of Pediatrics at BC Children’s Hospital. She specialized as a pediatric nurse for over 25 years in a variety of clinical settings, and has been active in research for most of this […]

Maxime Doucas-Mooy

Maxime Doucas-Mooy (almost 10 years) is a child participant in AllerGen’s CHILD birth cohort study, through the Study’s Vancouver site. Maxime lives in Vancouver with his parents Robert Mooy and Natasha Doucas. Maxime’s favourite part of being in the CHILD Study is playing the interactive game blowing balloons to test his lung capacity (spirometry).

Sara Celemin

Sara Celemin (8 years) is a child participant in AllerGen’s CHILD birth cohort study, through the Study’s Edmonton site. Sara lives in Edmonton with her dad Reuben, her mom Tatiana and her older brother Lucas. Sara’s favourite part about participating in the CHILD Study is knowing that she is helping other children.

Lily Raine Hoffman

Lily Raine Hoffman (9 years) is a child participant in AllerGen’s CHILD birth cohort study, through the Study’s Winnipeg site. Lily lives with her parents, Eric and Harmoni Hoffman. Lily’s favourite part about being in the Winnipeg arm of the CHILD Study is meeting new and friendly people.

Brynn Eddie

Brynn Eddie (8 years) is a child participant in AllerGen’s CHILD birth cohort study, through the Study’s Vancouver and Toronto sites. Brynn relocated with her family from BC to Ontario in 2014. She has been a CHILD Study participant on both the west coast and in Toronto. Two highlights of her experience: the five-year-old visit […]

Lunch

Buffet lunch and networking in the Trinity Ballroom.

70mins

Trinity Ballroom

Trainee Oral Presentations #2

The second round of one-minute, one-slide presentations by AllerGen trainees, corresponding to entries in the conference's Poster Competition, covering the full spectrum of network research. See the Poster Competition Book of Abstracts.

Moderator: Dr. Kelly McNagny

30mins

Grand Ballroom

Kelly McNagny

Dr. Kelly McNagny, PhD, is a Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia, a Member of the Stem Cell Network of Canada, and Associate Scientific Director of AllerGen NCE Inc. He is also a Research Leader of AllerGen’s Biomarkers & Bioinformatics Enabling Platform. Dr. McNagny’s laboratory is interested in two aspects of […]

Session 3: CHILD Study: Gene-environment, Epigenetics & Microbiome

Research leaders in these vital areas of ground-breaking CHILD research will share key findings and future plans.

Interaction of the environment and the microbiome

Speaker: Dr. Hind Sbihi

The CHILD study has collected a wealth of information on the outdoor environment and its interaction with the health of the children participating in the Study. Dr. Sbihi will describe ongoing analyses, within CHILD, of the environment and its interaction with the microbiome.

Gene-environment impacts on lung health & asthma risk

Speaker: Dr. Qingling Duan

Gene risk scores, in the context of the environment, will become increasingly important the more the healthcare system moves toward implementing personalized care. Dr. Duan will described the work accomplished to date in this area within the CHILD Study, noting the unique data of relevance that CHILD has collected (such as data on ethnicity).

Indoor exposures & the microbiome

Speaker: Dr. Anita Kozyrskyj

Dr. Kozyrskyj will discuss research findings generated from CHILD data on the impact of the indoor environment on health outcomes, with a possible mechanism through the gut microbiome, focusing in particular on the impact of household pets and cleaning products.

An epigenetic lens on CHILD

Speaker: Dr. Meaghan Jones

Dr. Jones will discuss the epigenetic work being conducted within the CHILD Study: the progress made to date in this area, and immediate future plans.

CHILD & the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE)

Speaker (and session moderator): Dr. Jeffrey Brook

Dr. Brook will discuss the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE), which he leads, and how it is partnering with the CHILD Study to explore how multiple environmental factors in urban settings are linked to a wide range of health outcomes.

60mins

Grand Ballroom

Hind Sbihi

Dr. Hind Sbihi, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute and a Research Associate at the School of Population and Public Health of the University of British Columbia (UBC). Her research focuses on the human health effects of the built environment (air pollution, natural spaces, microbiome) with a growing interest […]

Qingling Duan

Dr. Qingling Duan, PhD, is an Assistant Professor jointly appointed to the Department of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences and the School of Computing at Queen’s University. She completed her postdoctoral training in genomics and bioinformatics at the Channing Division of Network Medicine, affiliated with Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The […]

Anita Kozyrskyj

Dr. Anita Kozyrskyj, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, of the University of Alberta. She is interested in epidemiological research using population-based birth cohort studies with linkage to existing healthcare databases. Her current research interests focus on early life programming of childhood atopic disease and overweight, as […]

Meaghan Jones

Dr. Meaghan Jones, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics at the University of Manitoba. Her current research focus is the role of epigenetic changes in the link between mothers’ exposure to inhaled pollutants like cigarette smoke and their children’s risk of developing asthma. She pursued post-doctoral training at […]

Jeffrey R. Brook

Dr. Jeffrey R. Brook, PhD, M.Sc., is Assistant Professor in the Occupational & Environmental Health Division of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He is also a Senior Research Scientist in the Air Quality Research Division of Environment Canada, and a Research Leader of AllerGen’s Gene-Environment Interactions Enabling Platform. […]

Break

Break for coffee and networking.

30mins

Trinity Ballroom

Session 4: The Future of CHILD: What’s next?

As the CHILD Study follows its young subjects at age 8 and beyond, lead investigators will discuss new areas of research within the Study, and the Study's increasing relevance to our broader understanding of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD).

Session moderator: Dr. Padmaja Subbarao

DOHAD and cardiometabolic outcomes

Speaker: Dr. Sonia Anand

Dr. Anand will discuss how the CHILD Study, although designed as an asthma and allergy birth cohort, is generating data that can be used to answer broader questions about the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), including cardiometabolic disease, and why this is important.

Trajectories toward anxiety and depression

Speaker: Dr. Peter Szatmari

Rates of anxiety and depression are much higher in those with chronic disease. Dr. Szatmari will discuss how future research plans of CHILD might help shed light on these common origins.

30mins

Grand Ballroom

Padmaja Subbarao

Dr. Padmaja Subbarao, MD, M.Sc., FRCP(C), FAAP, LMCC, is Staff Respirologist at The Hospital for Sick Children; a Scientist in Physiology & Experimental Medicine at the SickKids Research Institute; an Associate Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto; and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Respirology at McMaster University. She is also the Director of […]

Sonia Anand

Dr. Sonia Anand, MD, PhD, FRCPc, is Associate Director of the Population Health Research Institute; Director of the Population Genomics Program, Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Professor of Cardiology; and Associate Chair, Equity and Diversity, in the Department of Medicine, all at McMaster University. She holds a Canada Research Chair in Ethnic Diversity and […]

Peter Szatmari ​

Dr. Peter Szatmari, BA, MD, MSC, FRCPC, is Chief of the Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, as well as a professor in and the Director of the Division of Child and Youth Mental Health at the […]

Session 5: The Future of CHILD: From epidemiology to trials

Lead investigators in the CHILD Study will discuss emerging initiatives.

Big data and CHILD

Speaker: Dr. Anne Goldenberg

Dr. Goldenberg will discuss ways to use bioinformatic techniques and technologies to leverage the Study's massive datasets for biomedical/health research with personalized health applications.

CHILD as a vehicle to improve child health

Speaker (and session moderator): Dr. Stuart Turvey

Dr. Turvey will describe the goals of CHILD's major project funded by Genome Canada, which aims to leverage early associative studies to develop a clinical test to predict the development of asthma.

30mins

Grand Ballroom

Anna Goldenberg

Dr. Anna Goldenberg, PhD, is a senior scientist of Genetics & Genome Biology in the Research Institute of The Hospital for Sick Children and an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. She holds a Canada Research Chair in Computational Medicine. She is an expert in machine learning approaches […]

Stuart Turvey

Dr. Stuart Turvey, MBBS, DPhil, FRCPC, is Aubrey J. Tingle Professor of Pediatric Immunology at The University of British Columbia. He is also a Pediatric Immunologist and the Director of Clinical Research at the BC Children’s Hospital, as well as Co-Director and Vancouver Site Leader of AllerGen’s CHILD Study. Dr Turvey’s research program focuses on […]

Keynote: Dr. David Bates (Harvard Medical School)—Electronic Health Records and How Big Data Can Offer New Insights

Electronic Health Records and how big data can offer new insights

Electronic health records (EHRs) are becoming ever more widely used, in Canada even more than in the U.S.

Dr. Bates will talk about how the U.S. has achieved nearly universal adoption, and what the strengths and weaknesses are with current forms of implementation. He will then discuss the role of big data, including how EHRs represent an important new data source. He will talk about big data techniques, and how understanding their potential and limitations will be a key skill going forward. Finally, he will present several studies from his group in this area on allergy and asthma, and discuss how they have leveraged large datasets and data from EHRs.

Dr. David W. Bates, MD, MS, is an internationally renowned expert in patient safety, using information technology to improve care, quality-of-care, cost-effectiveness, and outcomes assessment in medical practice.

60mins

Grand Ballroom

David Bates

Dr. David W. Bates, MD, MS,  is an internationally renowned expert in patient safety, using information technology to improve care, quality-of-care, cost-effectiveness, and outcomes assessment in medical practice. He is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health, where he co-directs the […]

Free Evening

No conference activities are programmed (except the Networking Dinner for HQP only, from 19:00 to 21:00). Other delegates can enjoy their free time in whatever way they choose!

HQP Networking Dinner (HQP only)

A networking dinner for AllerGen HQP, AETOAC committee members and invited investigators only.

120mins

York A-B

Breakfast

Breakfast buffet.

45min

Trinity Ballroom

Welcome

Dr. Briane Rowe, Director of the CIHR's Institute for Cardiac and Respiratory Health (ICRH), offers welcoming words.

15min

Grand Ballroom

Brian Rowe

Dr. Brian H. Rowe, MD, MSc, is Director of the Institute for Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH) at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). He is also a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and holds a Tier I Canada […]

Keynote: Dr. Sally Wenzel (University of Pittsburgh)—Precision Medicine in Asthma: From Biology to Biologics

Precision Medicine in Asthma: From Biology to Biologics

Only recently has the intersection of pathobiology and targeted biologic therapies begun to unveil the differing yet overlapping phenotypes which make up asthma, and in particular severe asthma.

For many years, asthma, as defined by bronchodilator responsiveness and appropriate symptoms, was considered a disease of childhood onset with allergic reactions contributing heavily to disease. However, clinical-pathologic (and ‘omics-based) clustering analyses, complemented by studies of targeted biologic therapies, are now beginning to define molecular, as opposed to clinical, phenotypes. While “T2-molecular phenotypes” are now readily identifiable, further study is required to dissect additional heterogeneity of these patients, and to determine whether a single underlying pathobiology is definable in all asthma patients.

Dr. Wenzel’s talk will identify new avenues of research and clinical inquiry that leverage “omics” technologies with targeted therapeutics to enable further personalization of severe asthma diagnosis and treatments.

Dr. Sally E. Wenzel, MD, is a Professor of Medicine in the Department of Pathology of the University of Pittsburgh, and Director of the University of Pittsburgh Asthma Institute.

60min

Grand Ballroom

Sally Wenzel

Dr. Sally E. Wenzel, MD, is a Professor of Medicine in the Department of Pathology of the University of Pittsburgh, and Director of the University of Pittsburgh Asthma Institute. Dr. Wenzel is considered a global expert in severe asthma. She has pioneered the concept of asthma phenotypes, including the progression to molecular phenotyping. Dr. Wenzel […]

Trainee Oral Presentations #3

The third round of one-minute, one-slide presentations by AllerGen trainees, corresponding to entries in the conference's Poster Competition, covering the full spectrum of network research. See the Poster Competition Book of Abstracts.

Moderator: Dr. Susan Elliott

30min

Grand Ballroom

Susan Elliott

Dr. Susan Elliott, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo and an Adjunct Professor with the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), a partner in much of the global water and sanitation research that she undertakes. She is a health geographer […]

Break

Break for coffee and networking.

30 mins

Trinity Ballroom

Session 6: CIC Overview & Impacts: Clinical Trials and Drug Development

This session will describe the role of the Clinical Investigator Collaborative in the development of new therapies for treating asthma.

Session moderator: Dr. Paul O'Byrne

Understanding drug targets - what the CIC has achieved to date

Speaker: Dr. Gail Gauvreau

Dr. Gauvreau will summarize the contributions of CIC to the testing of drug targets and the development of new therapies.

New pathways of allergic airway disease uncovered using CIC models of asthma

Speaker: Dr. Scott Tebbutt

Dr. Tebbutt will discuss the application of novel scientific tools for mapping mechanisms of disease in CIC cohorts.

Benefits of partnership with the CIC – the role of clinical models in drug development

Speaker: Dr. Paul Newbold

Dr. Newbold will offer insights into how data from CIC studies are used by industry for drug development.

Overview of Severe Asthma-CIC and potential impacts

Speaker: Dr. Parameswaran Nair

Dr. Nair will provide an overview of sub-studies undertaken by the Severe Asthma arm of the CIC, and discuss the impact of these studies on the identification of treatment strategies.

90mins

Grand Ballroom

Paul O’Byrne

Dr. Paul O’Byrne, MB, FRCPI, FRCPC, FRCPE, FRCP(Glasg), FAPC, FCCP, FERS, FRSC, is Dean and Vice-President for the Faculty of Health Sciences, Dean of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, and a Professor of Respirology at McMaster University, where he also holds the title of Distinguished University Professor. He is Director of AllerGen’s Clinical […]

Gail Gauvreau

Dr. Gail Gauvreau, PhD, is a Professor of Respirology at McMaster University and Co-Director of AllerGen’s Clinical Investigator Collaborative, a multi-centred, Canadian-based, Phase II clinical trials group that fast-tracks potential drug candidates for the treatment of asthma. Dr. Gauvreau completed her BSc/MSc at the University of Guelph, her PhD at McMaster University and a Postdoctoral […]

Scott Tebbutt

Dr. Scott Tebbutt, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Respiratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, and Principal Investigator at the James Hogg Research Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, Institute for Heart + Lung Health, St. Paul’s Hospital. Since 2006, he has served as Co-Director of the Molecular Phenotyping and Genotyping […]

Paul Newbold

Dr. Paul Newbold, PhD, is a Senior Medical Affairs Leader in the Respiratory Global Medical Affairs group of AstraZeneca. He has been with the AstraZenca/MedImmune organization for 23 years, always in the Respiratory and Inflammation therapeutic area. He has worked mainly on the development of new medicines (both small molecule and biologics) for asthma and […]

Parameswaran Nair

Dr. Parameswaran Nair, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCPC, is the Frederick E. Hargreave Teva Innovation Chair in Airway Diseases, a Professor of Respirology at McMaster University, and Staff Respirologist at the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at McGill University. He leads the Severe Asthma component of AllerGen’s Clinical […]

Lunch

Lunch buffet.

75mins

Trinity Ballroom

Session 7: Biomarkers and Bioinformatics Enabling Platform: Discovery and Development on the Road to Economic and Social Benefit

This session will provide an overview of several of the discovery and development projects championed by AllerGen NCE that have potential for major societal impacts.

Improved diagnosis of airways diseases: metabolomic profiling of urine

Speaker: Dr. Darryl Adamko

We have been developing a diagnostic test on a mass spectrometry platform that can measure biomarkers in urine samples from children and adults. This test has been designed to differentiate asthma from other airway diseases and determine severity of disease requiring therapy.

CABS1: A novel biomarker of stress with anti-inflammatory activity

Speaker: Dr. Dean Befus

A description of an anti-inflammatory molecule under neuroendocrine regulation in an animal model and translation to the discovery of CABS1 as a biomarker of stress in humans and its potential applications.

Cord blood flow cytometric predictors of atopy and asthma in the CHILD Study

Speaker: Dr. Judah Denburg

Review of markers on CD34 and DC populations in cord blood which anticipate development of atopic sensitization, atopic dermatitis, wheeze and lung clearance index alterations at 1 and 3 years in the CHILD cohort.

Regulatory dendritic cell immunotherapy

Speaker: Dr. John Gordon

This talk will focus on a newer translational approach to allergic disease therapeutics that uses regulatory dendritic cells (DCreg). The development and characterization of novel human DCreg for use in allergic disease therapeutics will be described.

CyTOF as a tool for cord blood biomarker discovery in allergic disease

Speaker (and session moderator): Dr. Kelly McNagny

This talk will focus on mass spectrometry-based flow cytometry as a single-cell proteomics platform technology for discovery of blood biomarkers of existing or future allergic disease.

75mins

Grand Ballroom

Darryl Adamko

Dr. Darryl Adamko, MD, FRCPC, is a pediatric respirologist and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Adamko’s research focuses primarily on asthma. He has studied the mechanisms of virus-induced asthma attacks and those underlying the development of asthma from infancy, using in vitro and in vivo models in humans and animals. […]

Dean Befus

Dr. Dean Befus, PhD, is a Professor of Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Alberta and Director of the Alberta Respiratory Centre. He is a Research Leader of AllerGen’s Biomarkers and Bioinformatics Enabling Platform. Dr. Befus focuses on finding new therapeutic treatments for asthma patients when their airways become inflamed by an asthma trigger, such […]

Judah Denburg

Dr. Judah Denburg, MD, FRCPC, Professor and William J. Walsh Chair in Medicine at McMaster University, received his MD from McGill University Medical School (Canada) and Hebrew University (Israel) followed by Fellowship Certification (FRCPC) in Internal Medicine and Hematology. Dr. Denburg is active as a physician with one of the largest academic group practices in […]

John Gordon

Dr. John R. Gordon, PhD, is a Professor of Respirology at the University of Saskatchewan, and a Research Leader of AllerGen’s Biomarkers & Bioinformatics Enabling Platform. Dr. Gordon’s laboratory focuses on immunotherapeutics in the context of allergic and other inflammatory diseases. His team has developed regulatory dendritic cell protocols to reverse asthma and food allergen […]

Kelly McNagny

Dr. Kelly McNagny, PhD, is a Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia, a Member of the Stem Cell Network of Canada, and Associate Scientific Director of AllerGen NCE Inc. He is also a Research Leader of AllerGen’s Biomarkers & Bioinformatics Enabling Platform. Dr. McNagny’s laboratory is interested in two aspects of […]

Trainee Oral Presentations #4

The fourth round of one-minute, one-slide presentations by AllerGen trainees, corresponding to entries in the conference's Poster Competition, covering the full spectrum of network research. See the Poster Competition Book of Abstracts.

Moderator: Dr. Richard Hegele

30mins

Grand Ballroom

Richard Hegele

Dr. Richard Hegele, MD, FRCPC, PhD, is Vice Dean of Research and Innovation, and a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Hegele is an anatomical pathologist, with research interests in viral and inflammatory lung diseases, including the pathobiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections and understanding virus-host interactions to […]

Poster Viewing & Judging, Networking Wine & Cheese

As part of AllerGen's 2019 Poster Competition, judges and other delegates will have the opportunity to review the trainee posters on Network research and to discuss them with their authors. Delegates can mingle with wine and cheese and conversation. See the Book of Abstracts. Poster abstracts will be published in Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology.

120 mins

Grand Ballroom Foyer

Free Time

No conference activities are programmed. Delegates can enjoy their free time in whatever way they choose!

60 mins

Gala Event Opening & Dinner

AllerGen's Scientific Director offers brief welcoming remarks to open the evening's gala event. Dinner is served.

55 mins

Trinity Ballroom

Judah Denburg

Dr. Judah Denburg, MD, FRCPC, Professor and William J. Walsh Chair in Medicine at McMaster University, received his MD from McGill University Medical School (Canada) and Hebrew University (Israel) followed by Fellowship Certification (FRCPC) in Internal Medicine and Hematology. Dr. Denburg is active as a physician with one of the largest academic group practices in […]

Keynote: Prof. Timothy Caulfield (University of Alberta)—Twisted Science: A Call to Action

Twisted Science: A Call to Action

Prof. Timothy Caulfield will speak.

Prof. Timothy Caulfield, , LL.B., LL.M., is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta.

30 mins

Trinity Ballroom

Timothy Caulfield

Timothy Caulfield, LL.B., LL.M., is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta. His interdisciplinary research on topics like stem cells, genetics, research ethics, and the public representations […]

Celebration of the AllerGen Network & Awards

Speakers will reflect on AllerGen's 14-year trajectory. Various awards and recognitions will be presented, including Poster Competition awards and the inaugural Michelle Harkness Mentorship Awards.

105 mins

Trinity Ballroom

Breakfast

Breakfast buffet.

60 min

Trinity Ballroom

Welcome

Welcoming words from Stephen Norman, Director of the Bureau of Chemical Safety within Health Canada’s Food Directorate.

15 mins

Grand Ballroom

Stephen Norman

Stephen Norman joined Health Canada’s Food Directorate in January 2019 as Director of the Bureau of Chemical Safety. Previously he held a number of positions at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, most recently as Director of the Food Safety Science Services Division with oversight for coordination of food chemistry and microbiology laboratory services as well […]

Session 8: CanGoFar to CANFASt: How AllerGen changed the global landscape of food allergy research

AllerGen's food allergy research team will provide a survey of the accomplishments and current status of their research.

Session moderator: Dr. Susan Elliott

Is the prevalence of food allergy increasing in Canada?

Speaker: Dr. Ann Clarke

Dr. Clarke will present the results of a nationwide survey, conducted in 2016, on the prevalence of food allergy and compare these with the results of an identical survey conducted five years prior.

Anaphylaxis in Canada: Lessons learned from the Cross-Canada Anaphylaxis Registry (C-CARE)

Speaker: Dr. Moshe Ben-Shoshan

Dr. Ben-Shoshan will describe findings from the C-CARE anaphylaxis registry, which have revealed increased rates of anaphylaxis and highlighted gaps in the diagnosis and management of life-threatening allergic reactions.

Food allergy genetics - past, present, and future

Speaker: Dr. Yuka Asai

This presentation will summarize the genetic findings in recent peanut allergy and food allergy studies, and discuss future opportunities for research.

Models of tolerance mechanisms

Speaker: Dr. Jean Marshall

This presentation will describe how some fundamental and collaborative studies of oral tolerance developments by AllerGen researchers might provide a better understanding of the impact of breastfeeding on allergy development.

Cow's Milk Protein allergy: What can we learn from biomarkers?

Speaker: Dr. Bruce Mazer

Dr. Mazer and colleagues have conducted an extensive clinical trial in Oral Immunotherapy for milk allergy. He will present the humoral and cellular changes that are associated with OIT and describe how these findings can help improve therapeutic outcomes.

90 mins

Grand Ballroom

Susan Elliott

Dr. Susan Elliott, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo and an Adjunct Professor with the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), a partner in much of the global water and sanitation research that she undertakes. She is a health geographer […]

Ann Clarke

Dr. Ann Clarke, MD, is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary. She is an established investigator in the epidemiology, economics, and outcomes of chronic atopic and autoimmune diseases, specifically food allergy and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). She is a Research Leader of AllerGen’s Canadian Food Allergy Strategic Team (CanFAST) Legacy Project and […]

Moshe Ben-Shoshan

Dr. Moshe Ben-Shoshan MD, M.Sc. is an Associate Professor in the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at McGill University and a Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Specialist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. He received a special distinction award for his service as the head of air-force medical team, Special Research Fellowship Award, and Allergists for […]

Yuka Asai

Dr. Yuka Asai, MSC, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at Queen’s University. She also provides consultation service to the Kingston General Hospital and outpatient service at the Hotel Dieu Hospital. Dr. Asai’s research interest includes allergy, genetics, and epidemology. She analyzes how skin interacts with other systems and its […]

Jean Marshall

Dr. Jean Marshall, PhD, is a Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Dalhousie University, and a Research Leader of AllerGen’s Canadian Food Allergy Startegic Team (CanFAST) Legacy Project and its National Food Allergy Strategy (NFASt) Legacy Initiative. Dr. Marshall has a long term interest in the biology and function of mast cells in host defence […]

Bruce Mazer

Dr. Bruce Mazer, MD, is Executive Director/Chief Scientific Officer of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). He is Professor of Pediatrics at McGill University and associate member of the Department of Medicine, and Division of Experimental Medicine. Dr. Mazer’s research focuses B-lymphocytes and development of antibody producing cells, particularly IgE. He […]

Break

Break for coffee and networking.

30 mins

Trinity Ballroom

Session 9: CanGoFar to CANFASt: Continued

AllerGen's food allergy researchers, collaborators and stakeholders will survey the accomplishments, current status and future of their research.

Session moderator: Dr. Jean Marshall

The science of translating the science of food allergy

Speaker: Dr. Susan Elliott

This presentation will describe the past, present and future of (integrated) knowledge translation in the context of food allergy in Canada.

Risks associated with consuming foods with allergen precautionary labelling in Canada

Speaker: Dr. Samuel Godefroy

Dr. Godefroy will review results associated with levels of allergens found in foods sold in Canada bearing precautionary labeling, and a risk assessment for scenarios in which allergic consumers ignore these statements.

Identifying barriers to and enablers of Oral Food Challenge implementation in Canada

Speaker: Dr. Edmond S. Chan

Dr. Chan will share research findings on the primary barriers to and enablers of clinicians and families participating in Oral Food Challenges.

Development of an interactive food allergy education program for adolescents

Speaker: Dr. Allan Becker

Findings from focus groups and a survey led the Children's Allergy and Asthma Education Centre to develop Kung Food, a interactive app employing gamification to engage and educate adolescents about food allergy.

Managing food allergies at university: What are the gaps?

Speaker: Dr. Susan Waserman

By researching the gaps in food allergy knowledge, attitudes and perceptions among students and food-service personnel, Dr. Waserman aims to identify ways to provide a safer environment for at-risk students.

Taking it political: the importance of taking the food allergy policy discussion to the level of the Federal government

Speaker: Jennifer Gerdts

This presentation will discuss the collaborative effort to create a National Plan of Action, the merit of government engagement, and Food Allergy Canada’s plans to advocate on behalf of Canadians impacted by food allergy.

120 mins

Grand Ballroom

Jean Marshall

Dr. Jean Marshall, PhD, is a Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Dalhousie University, and a Research Leader of AllerGen’s Canadian Food Allergy Startegic Team (CanFAST) Legacy Project and its National Food Allergy Strategy (NFASt) Legacy Initiative. Dr. Marshall has a long term interest in the biology and function of mast cells in host defence […]

Susan Elliott

Dr. Susan Elliott, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo and an Adjunct Professor with the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), a partner in much of the global water and sanitation research that she undertakes. She is a health geographer […]

Samuel Godefroy

Dr. Samuel Godefroy, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Food Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences/Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), at Université Laval. Dr. Godefroy does research in Food Science, Analytical Chemistry, Risk Analysis and Food Regulatory Policies. His current research projects are related to the management of emerging issues: […]

Edmond S. Chan

Dr. Edmond S. Chan MD, FRCPC, is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia and Head of the Division of Allergy & Immunology at BC Children’s Hospital. He is a recipient of the CSACI’s Jerry Dolovich Award for his contributions to allergy and clinic immunology in Canada. Dr. Chan’s […]

Allan Becker

Dr. Allan Becker, MD, FRCPC, is Professor and Head of the Section of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba. His primary research interest is the origins of allergy and asthma and other chronic, non-communicable diseases in early life. He has led several birth cohorts […]

Susan Waserman

Dr. Susan Waserman, MSc, MD, FRCPC, is a professor of Medicine in the Division of Clinical Immunology & Allergy, as well as the Training Program Director for the Clinical Immunology & Allergy and the Basic Clinical Trainees training programs, all at McMaster University. She is also the Director of the Adverse Reactions Clinic at the […]

Jennifer Gerdts

Jennifer Gerdts is the Executive Director of Food Allergy Canada, a national not-for-profit patient advocacy and education organization that works to make life safer for people with food allergies and those that may be at risk from anaphylaxis. Her prior professional experience was in business strategy, planning and organizational effectiveness with a focus in sales […]

Lunch

Lunch buffet.

60 mins

Trinity Ballroom

Keynote: Dr. Kari Nadeau (Stanford University)—The Future of Food Allergy

The Future of Food Allergy

Dr. Kari Nadeau will discuss the state of the art in patient-oriented food allergy research; recent results from mechanistic studies and clinical trials at the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University and other institutions; emerging therapeutics; and the need to propel basic, clinical, and policy research in the food allergy field.

Dr. Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD, FAAAAI, is the Director of the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University and an endowed professor under the Naddisy Family Foundation. She is one of the foremost experts in adult and pediatric allergy and asthma.

45 mins

Grand Ballroom

Kari Nadeau

Dr. Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD, FAAAAI, is the Director of the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University and is an endowed professor under the Naddisy Family Foundation. She is one of the foremost experts in adult and pediatric allergy and asthma. Dr. Nadeau studies the mechanisms involved in allergies and asthma […]

Closing Remarks

Parting words from Scientific Director and Managing Director of AllerGen.

15 mins

Grand Ballroom

Diana Royce

Dr. Diana Royce, EdD, is Managing Director & COO of AllerGen NCE Inc. She has been involved with AllerGen since its conceptual origins in 2002. Dr. Royce has over 30 years of experience in the post-secondary and health sectors related to public consultation and research, program implementation, strategic and operational planning, network administration, national/international partnership […]

Judah Denburg

Dr. Judah Denburg, MD, FRCPC, Professor and William J. Walsh Chair in Medicine at McMaster University, received his MD from McGill University Medical School (Canada) and Hebrew University (Israel) followed by Fellowship Certification (FRCPC) in Internal Medicine and Hematology. Dr. Denburg is active as a physician with one of the largest academic group practices in […]

Adjournment

Open workshop: CHILD Study Data Accessibility

Immediately following AllerGen’s 2019 Research Conference, delegates are encouraged to attend an open workshop focused on the data access strategy being developed for AllerGen's CHILD Study.

Join Drs Mike Brudno and Fiona Brinkman and their team of developers, along with CHILD Study leaders, for:

• A demonstration of the proposed new CHILDdb Portal
• A discussion of ways to access CHILD data
• A discussion of emerging CHILD data governance and management structures

180 mins

Grand Ballroom

Fiona Brinkman

Dr. Fiona Brinkman, PhD, FRSC, is a Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Simon Fraser University and a leader in the area of microbial bioinformatics. Her research interests include developing bioinformatics methods, capitalizing on combined bioinformatics and wet-lab approaches, and investigating microbes and their host/environmental interactions, to better understand key themes in infectious disease […]

Michael Brudno

Dr. Michael Brudno, PhD, is a Senior Scientist in Genetics & Genome Biology and Director of the Centre for Computational Medicine in the Research Institute of The Hospital for Sick Children; Professor of Computer Science at the University of Toronto; and Scientific Director of the HPC4Health Consortium. Dr. Brudno’s main research interest is the development […]