The University of Sherbrooke wants to fight Lyme disease

Professor Carignan, known for his numerous media appearances as an infectious disease microbiologist, says he has been working on the creation of this chair since 2018.

It will have the official name “Chair of Research in Lyme Disease and Emerging Infections” and will have “the main goal of improving care, earlier diagnosis, treating patients more quickly to reduce long-term consequences,” explains Professor Carignan.

“There is another aspect – improving the knowledge of health workers and the public. Given the disease’s recent emergence, many professionals have never encountered Lyme disease,” he adds.

And, according to his colleagues, Alex Carignan is the ideal person to carry out these missions.

“It takes a champion. We need someone who can carry this vision for many years to come. […]. Alex is that careerist, that champion,” judges Professor Dominique Dorion, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

But the main person involved says he is concentrating on developing his chair, on which first work is due to begin this summer. Professor Carignan adds at the same time that he can count on a diverse team to help him fulfill the mission of his department.

“When I take on a project, I always strive to make a difference directly for the patient, to improve patient outcomes and care,” he emphasizes.

The new department’s team will also follow patients to try to identify factors that contribute to the development of Lyme disease or that protect certain people.

The tip of the iceberg”

But beyond Lyme, Alex Carignan and his colleagues will be interested in tick-borne diseases in general.

“Lyme disease is a little like the tip of the iceberg. This is what we see, this is what moves us, but there is much more to come. With global warming, tick populations are migrating north more and more, and we find ourselves at the center of the emergence of various tick-borne pathogens,” he notes.

We must become more proactive in adapting to these new pathogens, he said. “That’s what we want to do with our chair,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Quebec Lyme Disease Association recalled that Estrie was the region hardest hit by the disease in Quebec. About 60% of cases of the disease in the region are recorded in the region.

And treatments remain in their infancy. Currently, rapid diagnosis helps limit the serious consequences of the disease, but lack of knowledge means that many cases are detected too late.

“It is true that current treatments have certain limitations. The key now is early treatment to minimize the consequences,” says Alex Carignan.

The CHUS Foundation and the University of Sherbrooke Foundation contributed financially to the creation of this new research chair.