معرفی
Nicole Bernard, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University. She serves as a Scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) at the Glen site, where she is affiliated with the Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program and the Centre for Translational Biology. Her work also connects with the Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy & Immunology at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
Dr. Bernard's research program focuses on understanding immune mechanisms to inform the development of protective HIV vaccines and strategies for achieving a functional HIV cure. Her CIHR-funded projects investigate the mechanisms underlying resistance to HIV infection and viral control without treatment in HIV elite controllers, as well as the protective mechanisms in HIV-seronegative individuals despite multiple HIV exposures. As adjunct director of the FRQ-S-funded AIDS and Infectious Diseases Network since 2018, she oversees the Network's HLA typing core and serves as co-principal investigator of the Canadian Cohort of HIV Infected Slow Progressors. Her work spans immunology, virology, and HIV pathogenesis with particular emphasis on NK cells, T cells, and host responses to HIV.
Analysis of Dr. Bernard's recent publications reveals a strong focus on natural killer cell biology in HIV infection contexts. Her research examines how NK cells contribute to HIV control in elite controllers, the role of NK cell education through various receptor systems, and the relationship between NK cells and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. More recently, her work has expanded to investigate metabolic factors like Acyl-CoA-Binding Protein (ACBP) in HIV progression and the connection between immune responses and conditions like fibromyalgia. This demonstrates an evolving research trajectory that maintains HIV immunology as its core while branching into related areas of immunometabolism and neuroimmunology.
Dr. Bernard has secured significant research funding through CIHR and oversees the HLA typing core for the FRQ-S-funded AIDS and Infectious Diseases Network. Her leadership extends to the Canadian Cohort of HIV Infected Slow Progressors, where she serves as co-principal investigator. Her research collaborations span multiple institutions and involve both basic science investigations and clinical cohort studies.
Her laboratory work focuses on dissecting host immune responses to HIV, particularly the role of natural killer cells and their interactions with HIV-infected cells. This research takes place within the infrastructure of the RI-MUHC's Centre for Translational Biology, which provides advanced facilities for immunological and virological research. Dr. Bernard's team investigates cellular and molecular mechanisms of HIV immunity using samples from various patient cohorts including elite controllers, slow progressors, and HIV-exposed seronegative individuals.
