John McCormick

John McCormick is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Western University (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry). His research focuses on bacterial pathogens Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus, particularly their exotoxins, superantigens, and mechanisms driving infection. He holds a BSc from Queen's University and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Minnesota and North Carolina State University. His lab investigates toxin regulation (e.g., TSST-1 in toxic shock syndrome), host-pathogen interactions, and vaccine development. Key projects include understanding superantigen roles in colonization, immune modulation, and engineering them for cancer immunotherapy. McCormick’s work is funded by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Research Interests: Bacterial toxins, superantigen pathogenesis, host immune response, vaccine targets, and microbiome interactions.

Lab activities include molecular microbiology, immunology, and in vivo infection models. Collaborations focus on translational applications, such as probiotic modulation of toxin production and targeted therapies.