David Langlais
Assistant Professor, Department of Human Genetics
Associate Member, Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Principal Investigator, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine
David Langlais is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Human Genetics, an Associate Member in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at McGill University, and Principal Investigator at the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine. David completed his PhD with honors in Molecular Biology in 2011 under the supervision of Dr. Jacques Drouin at the IRCM. His work revealed the complex transcriptional regulation at play in the immuno-neuroendocrine interface and in the maintenance of pituitary tissue. David then pursued postdoctoral research in Dr Philippe Gros’ laboratory at McGill University where he studied the role of critical innate immunity transcription factors and participated in the characterization of new proteins involved in immune function and neuroinflammatory conditions, including cerebral malaria. David has received multiple awards and fellowships, including the Milstein Young Investigator Award from the International Cytokine and Interferon Society and the 2018 Top 10 Discovery by Quebec Science. His current research is founded on functional genomics, bioinformatics, genome editing and molecular biology methods to explain the transcriptional mechanisms involved in normal and pathological inflammation, aiming to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets for inflammatory diseases
Acute and chronic diseases of inflammation are caused by uncontrolled activation of the immune system and by ineffective return to homeostasis following insult resolution. Environmental and genetic factors are contributing to immune dysregulation. On the genetic side, not only inter-individual variations are influencing the inflammatory responses, but also the epigenetic control of gene expression by transcription factors is important.
The aim of our lab is to understand the role of transcription factors in normal and pathological inflammatory responses. We use cutting-edge molecular biology and genomics methods to:
1. Investigate the involvement of human genetic variations in autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases
2. Identify and characterize the function of transcription factors in acute and chronic inflammation
3. Develop innovative anti-inflammatory treatments, especially to target cerebral malaria