David Speert

FRCPC, MD

Investigator Emeritus, Centre for Understanding and Preventing Infection in Children, BC Children's Hospital

Research in Dr. Speert’s laboratory is directed at gaining a clearer understanding of function of the human innate immune system and the control of inflammation in health and disease. Investigations are currently underway to identify both bacterial and host determinants of dysfunctional inflammation.

Work in Dr. Speert’s laboratory has focused for the past 30 years on the causes of bacterial infections in cystic fibrosis. His work has identified a number of bacterial and host factors which likely conspire to create an environment in the CF lung which favors infection with the bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia complex. These studies are ultimately directed at identifying novel strategies to prevent or enhance therapy of such infections.

Since 2006, Dr. Speert has worked to establish a durable collaboration with colleagues in South Africa where childhood disease is far more common and more severe than in North America. His group is now studying children born to, but not infected by, mothers who are HIV-positive. These children experience severe infections during the first year of life for reasons that are unexplained. He has established a birth cohort study in Cape Town and is planning a cohort study of older children in Paarl, Western Cape Province to better understand the causes for morbidity and mortality in these infants and to determine if they are protected against HIV when exposed later in life.

Research in Dr. Speert’s laboratory is supported with grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Cystic Fibrosis Canada, the BC Lung Association, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Martha Piper Fund (UBC) and the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies.