David Langlais

David Langlais

Assistant Professor
Head, Inflammation Genomics Lab
Departments of Human Genetics and Microbiology & Immunology

Email: david.langlais@mcgill.ca
Phone: (514) 398-5844
Lab: (514) 398-5670

740 Dr Penfield Ave, Room 4203
Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3A 0G1

Website

David Langlais is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Human Genetics and Microbiology & Immunology at McGill University, and Principal Investigator at the McGill Genome Centre. Dr Langlais completed his Ph.D. with honors in Molecular Biology in 2011 under the supervision of Dr. Jacques Drouin at the IRCM. His work revealed the complex transcriptional regulation at play in the immuno-neuroendocrine interface and in the maintenance of pituitary tissue. Dr Langlais then pursued postdoctoral research in Dr Philippe Gros’ laboratory at McGill University where he studied the role of critical innate immunity transcription factors and participated in the characterization of new proteins involved in immune function and neuroinflammatory conditions, including cerebral malaria. Dr Langlais has received multiple awards and fellowships, including the Milstein Young Investigator Award from the International Cytokine and Interferon Society and the 2018 Top 10 Discovery by Quebec Science. His current research is founded on functional genomics, bioinformatics, genome editing and molecular biology methods to explain the transcriptional mechanisms involved in normal and pathological inflammation, aiming to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets for inflammatory diseases.

Research Interests

Acute and chronic diseases of inflammation are caused by uncontrolled activation of the immune system and by ineffective return to homeostasis following insult resolution. Environmental and genetic factors are contributing to immune dysregulation. On the genetic side, not only inter-individual variations are influencing the inflammatory responses, but also the epigenetic control of gene expression by transcription factors is important.

The aim of our lab is to understand the role of transcription factors in normal and pathological inflammatory responses. We use cutting-edge molecular biology and genomics methods to:

1. Investigate the involvement of human genetic variations in chronic inflammatory diseases, such as Hashimoto thyroiditis.
2. Identify and characterize the function of transcription factors in acute and chronic inflammation.
3. Develop innovative anti-inflammatory treatments, especially to target cerebral malaria.

Recent Publications

• Vialard, F, Allaeys, I, Dong, G, Phan, MP, Singh, U, Hébert, MJ et al.. Thermoneutrality and severe malaria: investigating the effect of warmer environmental temperatures on the inflammatory response and disease progression. Front Immunol. 2023;14 :1128466. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1128466. PubMed PMID:37350957 PubMed Central PMC10283000.
• Ibarra-Meneses, AV, Amin, A, Dong, G, Olivier, M, Langlais, D, Fernandez-Prada, C et al.. Identification and analysis of the DNA content of small extracellular vesicles isolated from Leishmania parasites. STAR Protoc. 2023;4 (2):102248. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102248. PubMed PMID:37087735 PubMed Central PMC10160803.
• Wang, H, Langlais, D, Nijnik, A. Histone H2A deubiquitinases in the transcriptional programs of development and hematopoiesis: a consolidated analysis. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2023;157 :106384. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2023.106384. PubMed PMID:36738766 .
• Rosain, J, Neehus, AL, Manry, J, Yang, R, Le Pen, J, Daher, W et al.. Human IRF1 governs macrophagic IFN-γ immunity to mycobacteria. Cell. 2023;186 (3):621-645.e33. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.12.038. PubMed PMID:36736301 PubMed Central PMC9907019.
• Lévy, R, Gothe, F, Momenilandi, M, Magg, T, Materna, M, Peters, P et al.. Human CARMIL2 deficiency underlies a broader immunological and clinical phenotype than CD28 deficiency. J Exp Med. 2023;220 (2):. doi: 10.1084/jem.20220275. PubMed PMID:36515678 PubMed Central PMC9754768.
• Butler-Laporte, G, Povysil, G, Kosmicki, JA, Cirulli, ET, Drivas, T, Furini, S et al.. Exome-wide association study to identify rare variants influencing COVID-19 outcomes: Results from the Host Genetics Initiative. PLoS Genet. 2022;18 (11):e1010367. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010367. PubMed PMID:36327219 PubMed Central PMC9632827.
• Psaroudis, RT, Singh, U, Lora, M, Jeon, P, Boursiquot, A, Stochaj, U et al.. CD26 is a senescence marker associated with reduced immunopotency of human adipose tissue-derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2022;13 (1):358. doi: 10.1186/s13287-022-03026-4. PubMed PMID:35883188 PubMed Central PMC9327293.
• Douanne, N, Dong, G, Amin, A, Bernardo, L, Blanchette, M, Langlais, D et al.. Leishmania parasites exchange drug-resistance genes through extracellular vesicles. Cell Rep. 2022;40 (3):111121. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111121. PubMed PMID:35858561 .
• Fava, VM, Bourgey, M, Nawarathna, PM, Orlova, M, Cassart, P, Vinh, DC et al.. A systems biology approach identifies candidate drugs to reduce mortality in severely ill patients with COVID-19. Sci Adv. 2022;8 (22):eabm2510. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abm2510. PubMed PMID:35648852 PubMed Central PMC9159580.
• Chan, A, Ayala, JM, Alvarez, F, Piccirillo, C, Dong, G, Langlais, D et al.. The role of Leishmania GP63 in the modulation of innate inflammatory response to Leishmania major infection. PLoS One. 2021;16 (12):e0262158. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262158. PubMed PMID:34972189 PubMed Central PMC8719666.