André Buret
Associate Vice-President (Research)
Professor
Adjunct Professor
PhD - Pathophysiology of Infectious Diseases
MSc - Parasitology
Licence ès Science - Biology
Contact information
Phone
Location
Research
Research Interests
Similar inflammatory, immunologic, and pathophysiologic events characterize disease processes at mucosal sites such as the intestine and the lung. Critical issues to this research area include understanding the role of immune cells and mediators, and the role of cell death, in the production of disease. The overall aim of my research is to define cell-cell interactions in these systems, and how such interactions may affect gastrointestinal and pulmonary physiology, responsiveness, and inflammation, in an attempt to develop novel therapeutic strategies. An important current focus investigates the role of the gut microbiota and microbial-microbial interactions in health and disease.
Biography
Dr. Buret is a Professor in the department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary. In his 23 years at the University of Calgary, he has excelled, and continues to excel, in all three major areas of the life of an academic – scholarship, teaching and service. His current appointment - and his previous appointment as an associate vice-president (research) - recognizes the extent of his expertise, insightfulness and dedication.
Dr. Buret received a Teaching Diploma from Ecole Normale Cantonale de Neuchatel (1978), and a Licence es Science from the University of Neuchatel (1983), both in Switzerland. He later achieved his Master of Science in Parasitology (1988) and subsequently his PhD in Pathophysiology of Infectious Diseases (1991) both from the University of Calgary. Dr. Buret then went to the University of Newcastle in Australia as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Mucosal Immunology (1991-1994) and subsequently came back to the University of Calgary as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Gastrointestinal Physiology (1994-1995).
An internationally renowned Canadian scientist, Dr. Buret’s main research focus is on pathophysiology of microbial-host interactions, with emphasis on how these may lead to inflammatory complications. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and the lungs represent two of the most common cause of death in humans and other animal species worldwide. Using parasitic (and bacterial) models, the overall aim of Dr. Buret’s research is to characterize microbial-host interactions in these systems, and how such interactions may affect gastrointestinal and pulmonary physiology, responsiveness, inflammation, and chronic disease in an attempt to develop novel therapeutic strategies that may involve dietary modulation. Particular emphasis is given to the role of chronic inflammatory disorders, the significance of gut microbiota biofilms in health and disease, and the clinical benefits of the anti-inflammatory properties of anti-microbial. The parasite model prototype used for Dr. Buret's research is Giardia.
Publications
In the Lab
Emily deMichele
MSc Student
emily.demichele1@ucalgary.ca
Olivia Sosnowski
PhD Student
olivia.sosnowski@ucalgary.ca
Elena Fekete
PhD Candidate
erfekete@ucalgary.ca
Thibault Allain
Postdoctoral Fellow
thibault.allain@ucalgary.ca
Executive Assistant
Karen Pankraz
AD 100
karen.pankraz@ucalgary.ca
403.220.7833