معرفی
Dr. Thomas Murooka is an Associate Professor in the Department of Immunology at the Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba. He holds cross-appointments in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. His research focuses on understanding how pathogens (e.g., HIV, Leishmania) modulate immune cell behavior, with a particular emphasis on cell migration, cell-to-cell communication, and immune evasion mechanisms. Utilizing advanced microscopy techniques, his lab investigates the spatiotemporal dynamics of immune responses in health and disease.
Dr. Murooka's educational background includes a Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Bachelor of Science in Medicine from the University of Manitoba (1982), followed by a residency leading to Fellow of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (FRCPC) in Pediatrics (1986). He earned a PhD in Immunology from the University of Toronto (2008) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital (2014), specializing in intravital imaging.
His research interests encompass viral and parasitic infections, HIV latency mechanisms, and Leishmania persistence. Key areas include the role of regulatory T cells in immune evasion, miRNA regulation of HIV entry, and the dynamics of T cell migration during infection. Supported by grants from CIHR, Research Manitoba, and CanCURE Enterprise 2.0, his work bridges basic immunology with translational strategies to combat infectious diseases.
Dr. Murooka has been recognized for his teaching excellence, including the University of Manitoba Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award (2017 and 2020). His lab collaborates with organizations like CanCURE and the American Society for Microbiology. Current research tools include CRISPR screening, live-cell imaging, and computational modeling of cellular interactions.
Notable achievements include discovering how HIV-infected T cells enhance viral spread through migration and identifying niche environments supporting latent HIV reservoirs. His lab’s work on Leishmania immune evasion mechanisms has advanced understanding of persistent parasitic infections. Future directions include developing therapies targeting chemoattractant systems and refining imaging techniques for real-time infection monitoring.
