معرفی
Simon Hirota is a Professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, serving as Associate Dean of Research Infrastructure and holding a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Host-Microbe Interactions and Chronic Disease. He is a Full Member of the Inflammation Research Network, Gastrointestinal Research Group, and The Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, and a Child Health & Wellness Researcher at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute.
His educational background includes:
- Post-doctoral Fellowship in Gastrointestinal Immunology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary (2012)
- Ph.D. in Pharmacology & Physiology, McMaster University (2007)
- B.Sc. Honours in Biology & Pharmacology, McMaster University (2002)
Dr. Hirota's research centers on host-microbe interactions in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and infectious colitis, investigating how nuclear receptors (CAR, PXR, NR4A1) regulate intestinal epithelial barrier function, mucosal immunity, and fibrosis. His lab employs intestinal organoids to study disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets for Crohn's disease and C. difficile colitis, with significant contributions to understanding NLRP3 inflammasome roles in IBD pathogenesis.
Recent publications (2024-2025) emphasize microbial metabolites' role in modulating intestinal immunity, nuclear receptors in fibrosis regulation, and organoid applications for precision medicine in gastrointestinal diseases, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach bridging microbiology, immunology, and pharmacology.
His scientific awards include:
- CAG Visiting Professor Award, Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (2023)
- CAG/INMD/CIHR New Investigator Prize (2021)
- British Journal of Pharmacology Early Career Research Prize (2017)
- Crohn’s & Colitis Canada Rising Star Award (2016)
Dr. Hirota mentors graduate students including MSc candidate Darasimi Kola-Ilesanmi and Postdoctoral Associate Andrew Thorne. His research is funded by multiple CIHR Project Grants (2021-2026, 2017-2022), Weston Family Microbiome Initiative awards (2020-2022), Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute Catalyst Award (2021-2023), and Helmsley Charitable Trust collaboration (2021-2024), focusing on intestinal mesenchymal regulation, fibrostenotic Crohn's disease, and microbiome-drug interactions.
He leads the Hirota Lab within the University of Calgary's strategic initiatives for Child Health and Wellness (2020-2025) and Infections, Inflammations and Chronic Diseases (2015-2021), collaborating extensively with the Gastrointestinal Research Group and Snyder Institute to advance gastrointestinal pathology research through innovative organoid models and proteomic analyses.
