/medhealthsci-research/ en /medhealthsci-research/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/medhealthsci-research/article/meet-family-medicine-phd-alumnus-abdul-cadri%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E Here we meet Abdul Cadri, who completed his PhD in family medicine and primary care in 2025. Abdul is a global health implementation scientist whose key areas of research include mental health, HIV, substance use and noncommunicable disease prevention. Abdul’s dissertation established a framework to guide the design and adaptation of effective school-based substance use prevention programs in the Ghanaian context. Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey as a graduate student at the Department of Family Medicine? I arrived in Canada during the summer break and, at first, the experience Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500 Health e-News 1576 /medhealthsci-research/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/medhealthsci-research/article/studies-explore-gaps-sti-and-hepatitis-care-prison-settings%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E As global health systems work toward eliminating sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, two new studies led by Nadine Kronfli, MD, MPH, FRCP(C), DTM&H, scientist in the Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, draw renewed attention to a population central to these goals: people in prison. The first study, published in Lancet Public Health, presents the first rigorous systematic review and meta-analysis of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in incarcerated populations. Drawing on data from more than 1.4 million individuals, it identifies a high Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500 Health e-News 1578 /medhealthsci-research/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/medhealthsci-research/article/one-final-gift-and-one-urgent-challenge-advancing-research-rare-cancers%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E Jerry Pelletier—a respected researcher, mentor, and colleague— passed away from cancer in 2023. In the face of his own diagnosis, Jerry made a decision that continues to shape cancer research today: he donated his tumour to science. Since then, Jerry’s tumour has been studied at the Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI) and across 91ºÚÁÏÍø by former colleagues and collaborators. This work has generated critical insights into the biology of the rare cancer he faced. Insights that have helped advance new approaches in precision oncology and deepened understanding of cancers Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500 Health e-News 1577 /medhealthsci-research/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/medhealthsci-research/article/triple-negative-breast-cancer-new-blood-test-may-pinpoint-which-patients-need-chemo%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E A cutting-edge study led by researchers at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research (LDI) with colleagues from Canada and published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, underscores the significant potential of a new blood test, liquid biopsy or circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) for patients with an aggressive form of breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The research provides new insights into the prognostic value of ctDNA and its ability to guide personalized treatment strategies for these patients. Indeed, TNBC patients Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500 Health e-News 1575 /medhealthsci-research/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/medhealthsci-research/article/studying-melanomas-most-often-overlooked%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E For decades, melanoma research has largely focused on ultraviolet-driven tumours arising in sun-exposed skin, which predominate in light-skinned populations. As a result, acral melanoma—a subtype considered rare overall but amongst the most common forms of melanoma in patients with skin of colour—has remained critically understudied. Acral melanoma has also gained public attention through high-profile cases, including that of musician Bob Marley, who died from the disease in 1981. Despite this visibility, the molecular drivers underlying its often aggressive clinical behaviour remain Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500 Health e-News 1574 /medhealthsci-research/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/medhealthsci-research/article/pan-canadian-genome-library-achieves-major-national-milestone-agreement-integrate-15000-genomes%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E The Pan-Canadian Genome Library (PCGL), hosted at 91ºÚÁÏÍø, today announced a major milestone in the implementation of Canada’s national genomics infrastructure with the planned integration of data from CGEn’s HostSeq Initiative and the Biobanque Québécoise de la COVID-19 (BQC19). This achievement marks a significant step in transforming Canada’s world-class genomic data assets into a coordinated, accessible, and impactful national resource. The integration will unite two of Canada’s most important COVID-19-era genomic initiatives. HostSeq was launched in response to the COVID-19 Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500 Health e-News 1573 /medhealthsci-research/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/medhealthsci-research/article/study-suggests-protein-made-liver-key-factor-mens-bone-health%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E New research suggests the liver plays a previously unrecognized role in bone health, but only in males. A 91ºÚÁÏÍø-led study published in Matrix Biology found that a protein made in the liver helps regulate bone growth in male mice, but not in females. The findings may help explain why men with liver disease are more likely to experience bone loss. The protein, known as plasma fibronectin, is naturally present in blood at higher levels in men than in women, declines when the liver is damaged and builds up in bone to modulate bone formation. This suggests men rely more heavily on the Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500 Health e-News 1572 /medhealthsci-research/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/medhealthsci-research/article/559m-cihr-grants-fmhs-research%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) announced a total national investment of $413 million through the CIHR Fall 2025 Project Grant competition, funding 421 grants. At 91ºÚÁÏÍø, 56 projects were funded for a total research investment of $55.9 million. The CIHR Project Grant program, held twice a year, funds health-related research projects across Canada with strong potential to advance knowledge, improve health outcomes, and impact health systems or care. The competition is open to all health researchers at any career stage, supporting a wide range of project types from discovery to Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500 Health e-News 1571 /medhealthsci-research/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/medhealthsci-research/article/mcgill-researchers-develop-quick-test-stands-curb-antimicrobial-resistance%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E System that can identify bacteria in less than 40 minutes could help physicians prescribe the appropriate antibiotics, amid ongoing urgency of antimicrobial resistance crisis 91ºÚÁÏÍø researchers have developed a diagnostic system capable of identifying bacteria –and determining which antibiotics can stop them – in just 36 minutes, a major advance in the global effort to curb antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Current clinical testing methods typically take 48 to 72 hours, leaving physicians without timely guidance. The researchers say this innovation arrives at a critical moment due to the urgency Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500 Health e-News 1570 /medhealthsci-research/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/medhealthsci-research/article/finding-potential-danger-signs-young-brains%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E Adolescence is a period of intense change. As young people undergo the transition from childhood to becoming young adults, they have to navigate growth spurts, raging hormones and the perils of peer pressure. It is also a time of increased vulnerability to psychiatric disorders including depression. It is the peak period in life for the onset of depression. People who develop major depression in their teens tend to deal with a more severe form of the condition and a higher rate of recurrence. The depression they experience is also often more resistant to treatment, compared to those who first Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500 Health e-News 1569