The MacLean Lab
We are a diverse lab at the University of Ottawa that engages in many different research directions but the heart of our program is focused on plants and microbes. We are not afraid to take on a new challenge, and have extensive experience in the study of those most difficult of microorganisms, the obligate symbionts that require a living host to survive, and cannot be genetically transformed. Our goal is to improve understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underpin plant-microbe interactions, representing an intersect between the disciplines of plant biology and microbiology.
Research
FEATURED PROJECTS
Over the last 20 years, strawberry imports to Canada have doubled to over 100 thousand metric tonnes of fruit per year, representing a wholesale value of $570 million. Our goal is to enable Canadian farmers to capture this market opportunity, increasing Canadian food security and sovereignty.
Clubroot disease
Plasmodiophora brassicae
Our goal is to provide knowledge that may be exploited to accelerate both traditional breeding and transgenic approaches of enhancing clubroot-resistant germplasms as a means of protecting the valuable Canadian canola industry.
In response to the 2019 global pandemic, our lab redirected our efforts towards developing a vaccine that is safe and effective against SARS-CoV2. Present-day research projects include investigating the potential of Medicago roots and Nicotiana leaves as a means of expressing viral antigen, nanoparticles, and monoclonal antibodies.
Our goal is to discover host and fungal genes/proteins that mediate symbiotic interactions, with a potential application towards improving crop productivity whilst reducing the input of chemical fertilizers in agriculture.