Biography
Dr. Marc-André Langlois is a molecular virologist specializing in microbiology and immunology, with a research program dedicated to unraveling the intricate dynamics between viruses and host immune defenses. A Full Professor at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Langlois also holds the position of Executive Director for the national Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network (CoVaRR-Net). His expertise and leadership have positioned him as a respected authority in the field. Additionally, Dr. Langlois is an esteemed member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada, and holds the Faculty of Medicine Chair of Excellence in Pandemic Viruses and Preparedness Research.
Dr. Langlois' laboratory has maintained a longstanding focus on investigating the mechanisms underlying host intrinsic immune defenses, particularly APOBEC3 proteins, and how they restrict infections by retroviruses, such as HIV. Interestingly, the research also explores how the DNA mutator activity of APOBEC3 proteins may, in some instances, contribute to the persistence and latency of HIV.
With the onset of the current coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Langlois shifted a significant portion of his research endeavors towards the development of high throughput serological assays for COVID-19 to study antibody responses to both infection and vaccination. The Serology and Diagnostics High Throughput Facility he created carried out over 2 million assays and supported more than 40 national studies, including the 2022 and 2023 Statistics Canada COVID-19 seroprevalence surveys. Throughout the pandemic, Dr. Langlois played a pivotal role in leading CoVaRR-Net, a collaborative effort aimed at coordinating multidisciplinary academic research initiatives to assess the threat posed by emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in Canada. The findings from this collective research effort were communicated to decision-makers in federal government agencies such as Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Currently, Dr. Langlois' research is focused on the study of respiratory viruses (e.g., RSV, human coronaviruses, influenza virus), mucosal immune responses to these viruses and vaccination, and the molecular mechanisms involved in HIV latency. This reflects a broader commitment to understanding and addressing key challenges in emerging infectious diseases.
Selected Publications (*: Corresponding author)
Maltseva M, Keeshan A, Cooper C, Langlois MA*. (2024) Immune imprinting: The persisting influence of the first antigenic encounter with rapidly evolving viruses. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2024 Dec 31;20(1):2384192.
Siragam V, Maltseva M, Castonguay N, Galipeau Y, Srinivasan MM, Soto JH, Dankar S, and Langlois MA*. Seasonal Human Coronaviruses OC43, 229E, and NL63 Induce Cell Surface Mogdulation of Entry Receptors and Display Host Cell-Specific Viral Replication Kinetics. Microbiology Spectrum. e0422023: 04220-23.a
Ajoge HO, Renner TM, Bélanger K, Greig M, Dankar S, Kohio HP, Coleman MD, Ndashimye E, Arts EJ, Langlois MA*, Barr SD. Antiretroviral APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases alter HIV-1 provirus integration site profiles. Nat Commun. 2023 Jan 10;14(1):16.
Maltseva M, Galipeau Y, Renner TM, Deschatelets L, Durocher Y, Akache B, Langlois MA*. Characterization of Systemic and Mucosal Humoral Immune Responses to an Adjuvanted Intranasal SARS-CoV-2 Protein Subunit Vaccine Candidate in Mice. Vaccines (Basel). 2022 Dec 23;11(1):30.
Colwill K, Galipeau Y, Stuible M, Gervais C, Arnold C, Rathod B, Abe KT, Wang JH, Pasculescu A, Maltseva M, Rocheleau L, Pelchat M, Fazel-Zarandi M, Iskilova M, Barrios-Rodiles M, Bennett L, Yau K, Cholette F, Mesa C, Li AX, Paterson A, Hladunewich MA, Goodwin PJ, Wrana JL, Drews SJ, Mubareka S, McGeer AJ, Kim J, Langlois MA*, Gingras AC, Durocher Y. A scalable serology solution for profiling humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. Clinical & translational immunology 2022 Mar, 11(3), e1380.
Galipeau Y, Siragam V, Laroche G, Marion E, Greig M, McGuinty M, Booth RA, Durocher Y, Cuperlovic-Culf M, Bennett SAL, Crawley AM, Giguère PM, Cooper C, Langlois MA*. Relative Ratios of Human Seasonal Coronavirus Antibodies Predict the Efficiency of Cross-Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Binding to ACE2. EBioMedicine 2021, 74, 103700
Rocheleau L, Laroche G, Fu K, Stewart CM, Mohamud AO, Côté M, Giguère PM, Langlois MA*, Pelchat M. Identification of a High-Frequency Intrahost SARS-CoV-2 Spike Variant with Enhanced Cytopathic and Fusogenic Effects. mBio. 2021 Jun 29;12(3):e0078821.ous diseases 2021, 9(2), ofab632.