Science on the Front Line: COVID-19 and Beyond

Join André Picard, health columnist with The Globe and Mail, and leading U of T clinicians, researchers and educators as they explore the future of discovery, collaboration and equity in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

Up next in this three-part virtual series is a conversation with three scientists who are contributing to the global research community’s COVID-19 response, while also working to prevent the rise and spread of future infectious diseases.

	Dr. Scott Gray-Owen Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics Professor Gray-Owen's research examines the interactions between bacterial and viral pathogens and their human host. He also serves as the director of U of T’s Containment Level 3 (CL3) Lab — one of only two such facilities in Toronto, where researchers can safely work with highly-infectious pathogens. In this capacity, Gray-Owen has been involved in coordinating research with an aim to gain a fundamental understanding of the viral infectious cycle, protective and pathogenic immune responses during infection, and validating the effectiveness of new personal protective equipment against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
	Dr. Karen Maxwell Joan Dixon and Joel Parkes Early Career Professor, Department of Biochemistry The Maxwell Lab at the University of Toronto researches bacteriophages — viruses that ‘hunt’ bacteria. In 2017, Professor Maxwell contributed to the landmark discovery of proteins, called anti-CRISPRs, that block bacterial cells’ defenses. Her lab is developing a rapid saliva test for COVID-19 based on CRISPR-Cas technology. Maxwell is a founding member of COVID-19 Resources Canada, a central hub designed to provide expertise and support to public health and research labs across Canada.
	Dr. Samira Mubareka Assistant Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology Professor Mubareka is a virologist at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Institute and the University of Toronto, focusing on themes of viral transmission and spread. She and her colleagues were among the first in Canada to successfully isolate and sequence the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Mubareka serves on the Chief Science Advisor of Canada’s COVID-19 Expert Panel and several other provincial and national advisory panels.
	André Picard Health Columnist, The Globe and Mail André Picard is the health columnist at The Globe and Mail and one of Canada’s top public policy writers. Picard is an eight-time nominee for the National Newspaper Awards, Canada’s top journalism prize, and past winner of the prestigious Michener Award for Meritorious Public Service Journalism.

Kindly register by November 18, 2020.

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