Silvia Vidal

Silvia Vidal, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University and a Researcher at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). She leads the Program in Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health, where her laboratory investigates genetic determinants of host resistance versus susceptibility to viral infections.

Research Focus: Dr Vidal’s work aims to understand why certain individuals develop life-threatening disease after exposure to common viruses such as herpes simplex virus, influenza A, and coxsackieviruses, whereas others remain asymptomatic. Using cutting-edge ENU mutagenesis, genome-wide association mapping, and genetically-engineered mouse models, her group has identified key innate immune pathways—centred on CD45 signalling, type I interferon responses, and NLRP3 inflammasome activation—that critically influence disease severity. These discoveries are being leveraged to identify small-molecule therapeutics that can modulate host immunity and limit viral pathogenesis.

Recent Publications: Her 2013 PLoS Pathogens paper demonstrated that CD45-mediated T cell function is essential for protection against herpes simplex encephalitis, while a companion study elucidated the role of RIG-I/TLR3/NLRP3-mediated inflammasome activation during influenza infection. Additional high-impact papers mapped quantitative trait loci governing susceptibility to viral myocarditis and dissected MHC class I-dependent NK cell receptor dynamics during cytomegalovirus infection.

Contact & Resources: Dr Vidal can be reached at silvia.vidal@mcgill.ca; her complete publication list is available via her PubMed profile.