Professor
Max Rady College of Medicine
Internal Medicine
Room 799 - John Buhler Research Centre
715 McDermot Avenue
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 3P4
Phone: 204-272-3115
Fax: 204-480-1362
neeloffer.mookherjee@umanitoba.ca
Neeloffer Mookherjee, PhD
Cross-appointments
Immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine
Research summary
Dr. Neeloffer Mookherjee is a leading researcher in the field of chronic inflammation, with a focus on asthma and arthritis. Her research explores the immune functions of host defense peptides, and aims to develop peptide-based immunomodulatory therapeutics. As the current Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Chair in Sex and Gender Science in Respiratory Health, she also integrates the fundamentals of sex- and gender-based analyses in her work. Dr. Mookherjee's research program at the University of Manitoba is at the forefront of understanding how environmental exposures such as air pollution impact chronic disease and how synthetic innate defense regulator (IDR) peptides and other small molecules can be used to regulate inflammatory arthritis.
Her research program provides access to expertise in immunology, cell biology, biochemistry, mass spectrometry and bioinformatics, which is perfectly suited to provide a strong foundation of knowledge for undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral training. Her trainees are also integrated within the department of immunology, and the Biology of Breathing Research Group in CHRIM. These diverse research environments allow her trainees to directly interact with highly skilled personnel at different stages of their careers in both basic and clinical science.
-
Research affiliations and groups
- Biology of Breathing Research Group (CHRIM)
- NanoMedicines Innovation Network
- The Canadian Respiratory Research Network
- The Canadian Glycomics Network, GlycoNet
- The AllerGen Network (National Centres of Excellence)
- Research scientist, Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM)
Research themes
- Regulation of chronic inflammation; focus on asthma and arthritis
- Immune functions of host defence peptides
- Development of peptide-based immunomodulatory therapeutics
- Biological sex-related differences in airway inflammation and asthma
Research interest
- Cytokines and Host Defence Peptides: Mechanisms in regulation of inflammation
- Regulation of airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness by synthetic innate defence regulator (IDR) peptides
- Mechanisms of sex-related differences in asthma
- Effect of inhaled air pollution on the lung and plasma proteins
- Regulation of inflammatory arthritis by synthetic IDR peptides and other small molecules
-
Keywords
-
Asthma
- Cell biology
- Chronic disease
- Cytokines
- Environmental exposure
- Gender-based analysis
- Host defence peptides
- Immunomodulation
- Inflammation
- Innate immunity
- Proteomics
-
Biography
Dr. Neeloffer Mookherjee is a renowned researcher in the field of immunology and internal medicine. She obtained her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in microbiology from the University of Victoria, and completed her postdoctoral fellowships at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization and the University of British Columbia. Since 2008, she has been a faculty member at the Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, where she currently holds the position of professor and cross-appointee in Immunology.
In addition to her role as a professor, Dr. Mookherjee is a research scientist at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM) and a member of several research networks, including the Biology of Breathing Research Group (CHRIM), the NanoMedicines Innovation Network, the Canadian Respiratory Research Network, the Canadian Glycomics Network, GlycoNet and the AllerGen Network (National Centres of Excellence).
Dr. Mookherjee is also the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Sex and Gender Science Chair in Respiratory Health. This prestigious appointment recognizes her expertise in integrating Sex and Gender Based Analyses (SGBA) into her research and her commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in her research group.
Dr. Mookherjee is a strong advocate for women in science, and is dedicated to mentoring and promoting the next generation of female scientists in her field. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and a Fellow of the Canadian College of Medical Geneticists. She has received numerous awards and accolades for her work and continues to be a leader in the field of immunology, dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by chronic diseases.
-
Education
Postdoctoral training at the University of British Columbia in British Columbia, Canada
Postdoctoral fellow at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization in Saskatchewan, Canada
Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada in 2001
Master of Science from the University of Bombay in India in 1993
Bachelor of Science from the University of Bombay in India in 1989
-
Awards
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Sex and Gender Science Chair in Circulatory and Respiratory Health in 2020
The Ed Kroeger Mentorship Award, in recognition of excellence and distinction in mentorship, teaching and research, provided by the Health Sciences Graduate Student Association at the University of Manitoba in 2019
Michelle Harkness Mentorship Award - Mentorship Development Grant ($4,500) from The Allergy, Genes & Environment (AllerGen) National Network in 2019
Teaching awards from the department of immunology at the University of Manitoba in 2014-2015 and 2012-2013
Contact us
Internal Medicine
Room GC430, Health Sciences Centre
820 Sherbrook Street
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3A 1R9 Canada
204-787-7772
204-787-4826