Reference Laboratory Network (RLN)

In September 2017, the sero-epidemiology group began three
national studies to estimate population immunity to varicella,
measles, and mumps in Canada. Led by Dr. Shelly Bolotin,
the goal of these studies is to measure the impact of Canada’s
immunization programs and to determine the risk of future
outbreaks. These studies will generate essential data to inform
public health and policy decision-making about varicella and
mumps control and measles elimination. Furthermore, these
studies aim to determine whether Canada meets the level of
population immunity required to prevent mumps outbreaks, and if
not, determine how far we are from this goal.

Dr. Todd Hatchette’s, lab is continuing the work on the
Development of Critical Tools to Assess Vaccine-Preventable
Disease (VPD) Serostatus in Canada. This comprehensive suite of
VPD assays that is accessible, inexpensive and parsimonious of
serum is urgently needed by public health authorities, practicing
physicians and vaccine scientists. Ideally, such assays would also
be multiplexed and formulated for point-of-care (POC) use. These
assays would be useful to evaluate vaccine programs, to care for
individual patients and to develop improved vaccines.

The RLN labs have also provided influenza testing for several
on-going or completed studies for members of CIRN, like Shelly
McNeil and the SOS Network, the larger Canadian scientific
community, such as The Arthritis Society, and industry.

Co-Investigators:

Guy Boivin, Université Laval
Shelly Bolotin, Public Health Ontario
Marc Brisson, Universite Laval
Brenda Coleman, Mount Sinai Hospital
Natasha Crowcroft, Public Health Ontario
Shelley Deeks, Public Health Ontario
May Elsherif, Dalhousie University
Ian Gemmill, Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health Unit
Jonathan Gubbay, Public Health Ontario
Scott Halperin, Dalhousie University
Todd Hatchette, Dalhousie University
Tobias Kollmann, University of British Columbia
Jason Leblanc, Dalhousie University
Tony Mazzulli, Mount Sinai Hospital
Elizabeth McLaughlin, NML
Bouchra Serhir, l’Institut national de santé publique du Québec
Alberto Severini, University of Manitoba
Susan Squires, PHAC
Cecile Tremblay, Université de Montréal
Tania Watts, University of Toronto
Sarah Wilson, Public Health Ontario