Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year – 2011

Dr. Paul Kubes, PhD
Professor, University of Calgary
Faculty of Medicine
Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology and Medicine
Director, Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation
Calgary, Alberta

Dr. Paul Kubes has given us a whole new view of the immune system.

As a graduate student, he attended a presentation on a new technology that would enable researchers to look inside blood vessels to watch the immune system in action, and he was inspired. Since then, he has made great strides in the study of leukocyte recruitment – the chemical signals in the body that attract white blood cells to sites of inflammation. Using a specialized microscope, Dr. Kubes and his colleagues have been able to look inside the body in a minimally invasive way and track the movement of leukocytes. He has identified the chemical cascades in the body that control these movements and what happens when these signals fail. He has also shown how damaged cells attract leukocytes to sites of injury.

As lead researcher of the Alberta Sepsis Network, Dr. Kubes has been examining the role that leukocytes play in preventing and reversing sepsis – a potentially fatal condition in which the blood becomes infected by harmful bacteria. His findings will be of vital importance as the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria grows and we need to find alternatives for treating infection. His research is also providing insights into the immunological effects of stroke, and why stroke victims have an elevated risk of sepsis. Now he hopes to collaborate with physicians and the private sector to translate his findings into treatments.

"If you've got a good idea that you think is going to work, you really have to go for it. Even if it means taking a chance," says Dr. Kubes.

Canada's Health Researcher of the Year Award honours researchers who have demonstrated excellence in their field. This prestigious award recognizes innovation, creativity, leadership and dedication to health research, providing world-class researchers with funding to pursue critical research and to support and mentor trainees.