Paul A. MacPherson PhD, MD, FRCPC
pmacpherson@ottawahospital.on.ca
Telephone: (613) 737-8899 x 74184
Fax: (613) 737-8803
Scientist, Chronic Disease, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Specialist, Division of Infectious Diseases, Ottawa Hospital
Associate Professor, University of Ottawa
Biographical Sketch:
Dr MacPherson obtained his PhD in molecular biology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1991. Throughout his graduate studies he was supported by a 1967 Centennial Scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Following his postdoctoral studies in Neuroscience at the University of Ottawa, Dr MacPherson began his clinical training and obtained his MD from McMaster University in 1998. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Toronto and then undertook further subspecialty training in infectious diseases at the University of Ottawa. He is now an Associate Professor of Medicine and a specialist in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Ottawa Hospital General Campus. His major interests lie in the areas of (1) patient care with a clinical practice primarily dedicated to those with HIV infection, (2) health issues as related to the GLBT community, and (3) basic research. In 2003, Dr MacPherson joined the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute as a Staff Scientist directing a research initiative focused on understanding how HIV disables the immune system. He and his research team have shown a decrease in the expression of the IL-7 receptor on CD8 T-cells in HIV+ patients, and an apparent recovery of this receptor in those receiving antiretroviral therapy with sustained viral suppression. They have gone on to show that loss of the IL-7 receptor from CD8 T-cells is mediated in part by soluble HIV Tat protein. Since IL-7 is essential for optimal CD8 T-cell proliferation and function, this down regulation of the IL-7 receptor may well be responsible for impaired cell mediated immunity and ineffective immunologic control of viral replication in HIV+ patients with progressive disease. Dr MacPherson's work is supported by grants from CIHR, OHTN, CanFAR, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.
Research Interests:
- Effects of the HIV Tat protein on IL-7 receptor expression on CD8 T-cells
- How IL-7 influences the terminal differentiation of CD8 T-cells
- Transcriptional regulation of the IL-7 receptor gene in CD8 T-cells
Interleukin-7 Receptor Expression and Function on CD8 T-Cells during HIV Infection and its Role in Modulating CTL Activity.
Principle Investigator: Dr. Paul MacPherson
Post Doctoral Research Fellow: Dr. Elliott Faller, PhD
PhD student: Scott Sugden, BSc
PhD Student: Feras Al-Ghazawi, MSc
MSc Student: Hafsa Cherid
Recent Publications:
SOLUBLE HIV TAT PROTEIN REMOVES THE IL-7 RECEPTOR FROM THE SURFACE OF CD8 T CELLS AND TARGETS IT FOR DEGRADATION. J. Immunol. 185(5): 2854-2866.
INTERLEUKIN-7 AND THE HIV TAT PROTEIN ACT SYNERGISTICALLY TO DOWN REGULATE CD127 EXPRESSION ON CD8 T-CELLS. Int. Immunol. 21(3): 203-216.
INTERLEUKIN-7 RECEPTOR EXPRESSION ON CD8 T CELLS IS DOWN REGULATED BY THE HIV TAT PROTEIN. Journal of Aquir. Immune Defic. Syndr. 43(3): 257-269.
WHEN INFECTIONS COLLIDE: GUMMATOUS SYPHILIS IN AN HIV-INFECTED PATIENT. International Journal of Infectious Diseases. 14S3: e283-e286.
DISCORDANCE IN HIV-1 VIRAL LOADS AND ANTIRETROVIRAL DRUG CONCENTRATIONS COMPARING SEMEN AND BLOOD PLASMA. HIV Medicine. 10: 548-554.
Professional Associations
- Canadian Medical Association
- Ontario Medical Association
- Canadian Association of HIV Researchers
- Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada
