Heroes of the Pandemic 01: Dr. Karen Mossman - Uncovering the virus in race to end pandemic

When COVID-19 struck, it was a quick but natural pivot for Dr. Karen Mossman, professor of pathology and molecular medicine at McMaster University, to begin understanding the new coronavirus at a basic molecular level.

It may be a different virus, but Dr. Mossman’s 20 years of studying virus-host responses and her team’s access to a level three containment facility positioned her ideally to contribute to the global research effort to end the pandemic.

A key discovery in Canada’s COVID-19 fight

Dr. Mossman’s team had early success by isolating the virus – giving Canadian researchers crucial access to a domestic supply of clean copies of SARS-CoV-2 derived from Canadian patients for further study.

“It is exciting and very humbling in some ways to directly contribute,” said Dr. Mossman. “This is going to be a global effort – no one lab will be able to solve this pandemic.”

Multiple strategies needed to stop pandemic

Dr. Mossman and her team’s findings support a collaborative effort to develop anti-viral therapies – a necessary strategy in addition to a vaccine.

“As with any vaccine, compliance is not 100 per cent, there are individuals who because of medical reasons can’t get vaccinated and some won’t take to a vaccine,” explained Dr. Mossman. “Anti-viral therapies are there if somebody does get infected as the next line of defense to either get rid of the infection or to lessen the infection so that the immune response can take over and clear the virus.”

The discoveries out of Dr. Mossman’s virology lab may also help better prepare for a future pandemic.

“The more we understand globally about coronaviruses, the better we can be prepared if there’s a third coronavirus that causes a future pandemic,” said Dr. Mossman, Chair, Board of Directors, McMaster Innovation Park.

The right collaborations for success

“Between the University, McMaster Innovation Park, the City of Hamilton and our provincial partners, we’ve built strong relationships that enable things to happen so much faster, which is critical during a pandemic,” said Dr. Mossman.

The ultimate collective success is to deliver a vaccine or an effective anti-viral drug.

“There’s still a lot to do, but I am already super proud of our team and what we’ve been able to accomplish.”