Abdel Soussi Gounni, PhD

Research summary

Dr. Abdelilah Gounni is a professor of immunology at the Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, and a scientist at the Children Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba.

Dr. Gounni’s research interests include the mechanisms of airways diseases and pathways regulating structural and inflammatory cell recruitment, activation and survival.

 Over the years, his work has focused on the role of high-affinity IgE receptor (FcepsilonRI), cytokines (interleukin-9, thymic stromal lymphopoeitin), soluble pattern recognition receptor (pentraxin-3) in regulating airway inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness and remodelling.

Most recently, his lab studies the function, expression and regulation of a neuronal chemo-repellent protein, Sema3E, in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Research Interests

• Molecular mechanisms of inflammation and remodeling
• Chronic pulmonary diseases
• Innate immunity
• Semaphorins
• Pentraxins
• Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP)

Research affiliations

• Scientist, Children Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Health Sciences Centre
• Member, Biology of Breathing Group, University of Manitoba

Dr. Abdelilah Gounni pursued his doctoral training at the Pasteur Institute, University of Lille, France. Following this, he underwent additional training as a National Swiss Foundation Research fellow at the Swiss Tropical Institute, University of Basel, and as a postdoctoral fellow at the Meakins-Christie Labs, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

In 1999, Dr. Gounni was honored with a Pharmacia Allergy Research Foundation fellowship award for his innovative research on IgE receptor-mediated inflammation, making him one of only six investigators globally to receive this recognition.

In 2001, Dr. Gounni joined the department of immunology at the University of Manitoba, where he established a competitive research program focusing on the molecular mechanisms of airway chronic diseases. His work has significantly advanced our understanding of these conditions and has opened avenues for novel therapeutic interventions.

Dr. Gounni holds editorial positions in prominent scientific journals, including serving as a section editor for the Frontiers in Allergy Journal in Lausanne, Switzerland, and as an associate editor for Allergy Asthma and Clinical Immunology, the Official Journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Additionally, he is an editorial board member of Clinical Experimental Allergy, the Official Journal of the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.  

Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Lille, Centre for Immunology and Parasite Biology, Pasteur Institute, Lille, France (1995)

Master's Degree equivalent in Microbiology, Centre de Recherche de Biochimie et Génétique Cellulaire (CRBGC), National Centre for Scientific Research, Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France (1991)

Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France (1989)

Awards

2012:

• Merit Award in Research, University of Manitoba, Canada

2009:

• Manitoba Research Chair in molecular airway inflammation, Winnipeg, Canada

2008:

• Ken Hughes Young Investigator Award for Excellence in Medical Research, University of Manitoba

2002:

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Award, Ottawa, Canada

2001:

• Post-doctoral research award, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
• Ranked 3rd, Henning Lowenstein Award for Research excellence in Allergy, ALko Abello, Denmark

2000:

• Post doctoral fellowship from CAAAIF/Glaxo Welcome/CIHR, Ottawa, Canada

1999:

• Post doctoral fellowship from Medical Research Council (MRC), Ottawa, Canada
• International Fellowship Research Award, Pharmacia Allergy Research Foundation, Uppsala, Sweden

1998:

• Post doctoral Fellowship, Montreal Chest Institute-Royal Victoria Foundation, Montreal, Canada

1996:

• Post doctoral Fellowship from Swiss National Foundation, Bern, Switzerland

1995:

• Graduate Studentship from Pasteur Institute, Lille, France

1992:

• PhD Studentship, Merieux Foundation, Lyon, France