Hesham Abdelbary
Associate Scientist, Inflammation and Chronic Disease
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Assistant Profesor, Department of Surgery
University of Ottawa
Tier 2 Clinical Research Chair "Prosthetic Bone and Joint Infections", Faculty of Medicine
University of Ottawa
Research Interests
Dr. Abdelbary's research program aims to investigate novel therapeutic approaches to treat PJI, which is the primary cause of failure after total joint replacement (TJR). Over the past 8 years, his research has focused on developing translational
in vitro and
in vivo PJI models that use bacteriophages to treat bacterial biofilm. Phages are naturally occurring viruses that can produce enzymes which dismantle the biofilm matrix and can also infect and lyse bacterial cells directly.
Since 2017, as the principal investigator, Dr. Abdelbary and his research program has secured 22 institutional and national peer-reviewed grants, totalling $3.5 million CAD. Some of the most recent grant funding is supporting the following research areas:
- Understanding how phages can modulate innate and adaptive immune responses at early and late stages of PJI. This research is funded by Strategic Operating Grant from Arthritis Society Canada.
- Innovative implant coating design to deliver phages. This research is funded by Ontario Research Fund: Research Excellence Grant.
- Translating phage therapy from the bench to the bedside through multicentered clinical trials. This research is funded by grants from Department of Surgery and Phage Canada Acceleration Grant.
Brief Biography
- Orthopaedic surgeon with a clinical focus on musculoskeletal oncology and complex joint reconstruction.
- Assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Ottawa.
- Scientist in the Inflammation and Chronic Disease Program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.
- Cross appointment to the Clinical Science and Translational Medicine (CTM) graduate program at the University of Ottawa.
- Director of the Implant Associated Infection translational research program, and the co-lead of the prosthetic joint infection (PJI) clinical program.
Selected Publications
- Taha, Mariam, AlDuwaisan, Abdullah, Daneshmand, Manijeh, Ibrahim, Mazen M., Bourget-Murray, Jonathan, Grammatopoulos, George, Abdelbary, H. (2024). Mapping Staphylococcus aureus at Early and Late Stages of Infection in a Clinically Representative Hip Prosthetic Joint Infection Rat Model. Microorganisms, 12(9).
- Taha M, Cook B, Theriault S, Abdelbary H. (2023). Combining Bacteriophage and Vancomycin is Efficacious Against MRSA biofilm Formed in Synovial Fluid. Frontiers in Medicine, 10:1134912, 1-6.
- Ibrahim MM, Liu Y, Ure K, Hall CW, Mah TF, Abdelbary H. (2023).Establishment of a Novel Rat Model of Gram-Negative Periprosthetic Joint Infection Using Cementless Hip Hemiarthroplasty.J Bone Joint Surg Am. Jan 4;105(1):42-52.
- Deb, M, Hunter, H, Taha, M, Abdelbary, H & Anis, H. (2022). Rapid detection of bacteria using gold nanoparticles in SERS with three different capping agents: Thioglucose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and citrate. Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc, 280, 1-8.
- Hadden WJ, Ibrahim M, Taha M, Ure K, Liu Y, Paish ADM, Holdsworth DW, Abdelbary H. (2021) Frank Stinchfield Award: A novel cemented hip hemiarthroplasty infection model with real-time in vivo imaging in rats: an animal study. Bone Joint J, Jul;103-B(7 Supple B):9-16.
- Kumaran D, Taha M, Yi Q, Ramirez-Arcos S, Diallo JS, Carli A, Abdelbary H. (2018) Does Treatment Order Matter? Investigating the Ability of Bacteriophage to Augment Antibiotic Activity against Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms. Frontiers in Microbiology, 9:127.
Diseases, conditions and populations of interest
Research and clinical approaches
