Expertise
Phage-built antimicrobial hydrogels, microgels, patches, films, fibers, aerosols, and powders; Phage preservation; Self-assembled/self-organized microstructures with bacteriophages; Bacteriophage-functionalized materials and surfaces; In vitro and in vivo models for phage therapy; Phage encapsulation via spray drying; High throughput assays and biosensors with bacteriophages; Aerosolized phages for drug delivery to the lung
Areas of Specialization
Research Clusters
Current status
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Accepting graduate students
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Associate Professor
Chemical Engineering
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Associate Professor
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
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Canada Research Chair in Bacteriophage Bioengineering (Tier 2)
Chemical Engineering
Overview
At the Hossseinidoust Lab, our mission is to create innovative technologies that disrupt and revitalize the antimicrobial industry and advance the global battle against superbugs. Antibiotics have broadly been used across industries as a reliable method of biocontrol since their discovery in the mid 20th century. Despite their widespread adoption and success, their efficacy is beginning to wane due to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Bacteriophages are viruses exclusive to bacteria that offer a highly targeted antibacterial action. Despite the strong body of evidence supporting phage as an effective antimicrobial, the field suffers from a paucity of technologies that support the safe, effective, and economical use of phage in real life scenarios.
We use engineering principals of design and analysis to develop transformative technologies that bridge the gap between phage biology and real world applications, ultimately making phage antimicrobials more accessible and preparing our world for a post antibiotic era. We have developed a diverse portfolio of intellectual property (IP), built around impactful scientific publications, supporting the application of bacteriophage biomaterials across industrial, agricultural, and clinical fields. You can learn more about our research platforms and active research projects on our lab website: Hosseinidoustlab.com
Research platforms
Platform A: Phage Antimicrobials
We use bacteriophages for their inherent property, as bacterial killers. We develop design/formulation criteria for bacteriophage therapeutics against common infections on the skin, medical implants, gastrointestinal tract, and respiratory system, specifically those that are in biofilm mode and antibiotic resistant.
Platform B: Phage Biomaterials
In their simplest form, bacteriophages are bionanoparticles than can propagate themselves and self-assemble. These properties make bacteriophages more powerful than synthetic nanoparticles. We also pack bacteriophages into solid form to design antimicrobial biomaterials, gels and coatings.
Platform C: Phage Diagnostics
Bacteriophages are very effective at finding and specifically targeting their host bacteria in nature. Because bacteriophages are so good at targeting their prey (bacteria) in nature, we use them to design novel methods of detecting and diagnosing infectious diseases.
Platform D: Aerosolized Phage
We investigate aerosolized phage to understand the behaviour of infectious aerosols, as well as to design inhalable therapeutics. We research the performance of respirators to aerosolized viruses and bacteria under clinically relevant conditions.
Did you know?
Phages have been named the next “Trillion Dollar Idea In Biotech”. Bacteriophages, or phages for short, are viruses that target bacteria. If you want to learn more about phages, visit our lab website: https://www.hosseinidoustlab.com/resources
I am a chemical and biomedical engineer. I have established my lab at McMaster University as one of the leading labs in the world in bacteriophage bioengineering, as recognized by a Canada Research Chair in Bacteriophage Bioengineering and an Early Researcher Award from the Government of Ontario. My research program is interdisciplinary and thus inherently collaborative. I am a core member of The Farncombe Institute for Digestive Health and an associate member at the Michael DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, the School of Biomedical Engineering, and the Center for Protective Equipment and Material (CEPEM), as well as the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research. My lab Alumni are leadig innovation in academia as well as the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.
- PDF, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent systems, Germany
- Ph.D., McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- B.Sc. & M.Sc., Sharif University of Technology, Iran
- Canada Research Chair (T2) in Bacteriophage Bioengineering
- Ontario Early Researcher Award
- CIHR PD fellowship
- FQRNT PD Fellowship
- NSERC-JSPS PD Fellowship
