Samira Mubareka

Samira Mubareka (born 1972) is a Canadian microbiologist who is a clinical scientist at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Her research considers the influenza virus, viral transmission and aerobiology. During the COVID-19 pandemic Mubareka isolated the genome of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome COronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in an effort to improve detection and diagnostics.

Samira Mubareka
Alma materDalhousie University (MD)
McGill University (Residency)
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Scientific career
InstitutionsSunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
University of Toronto
WebsiteLab Website

Early life and education

Mubareka was born to Kathy Elizabeth Cannon and Aboud Mubareka.[1] Her father was born in Iraq and attended the University of Baghdad and University of Göttingen.[1] Her mother attended the University of Mainz.[1] Mubareka herself was an undergraduate student at the University of New Brunswick. She eventually studied medicine at Dalhousie University, which she graduated in 1999.[2] She specialised in internal medicine at McGill University, before moving to the University of Manitoba to train in infectious diseases.[2] After completing her registrar training, Mubareka moved to Mount Sinai Hospital.[3]

Research and career

Mubareka is a Clinical Scientist at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and on the faculty at the University of Toronto.[2] Her research considers the development of mammalian model to describe the transmission of respiratory disease and the influenza virus.[4] She is interested in the co-pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus and its role in influenza virus transmission.[5] She looks to apply her understanding of viral transmission to the development of protective strategies.[6] By analysing data from a five-year period in Toronto, Mubareka identified that the virus struggles to survive in more humid environments.[7]

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mubareka worked with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre to better inform the public about the disease.[8] She created a series of videos that described the biology and symptoms of the novel coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome COronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In mid February 2020 Mubareka was awarded a research grant from the McLaughlin Centre to identify the genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2.[9][10][11] Genomic data can help to better diagnose coronavirus disease, including how much of the virus is shed by people who are infected.[10] Mubareka established the Toronto 2019-nCoV Working Group with Allison McGeer and Robert Kozak.[10] By mid March 2020, Mubareka and colleagues had successfully isolated SARS-CoV-2, providing researchers access to the genetic sequence for the development of new therapies and vaccines. The virus was isolated from patients at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, the first hospital in Canada to treat coronavirus patients. She succeeded in isolating the virus by getting it to reproduce in genetically engineered animal cells, then using whole genome sequencing to deduce the genome.[12][13][14][15] The isolated virus can be used to ensure tests work effectively, as well as being used to analyse the suitability of antiviral drugs.

Mubareka helped the World Health Organization to write guidelines on the clinical management of severe acute respiratory infection with an expectant diagnosis of coronavirus disease.[16] The guidelines include close monitoring, the provision of oxygen therapy and the determination of chronic therapies and co-infections.[16]

Selected publications
  • Lowen, Anice C.; Mubareka, Samira; Steel, John; Palese, Peter (2007). "Influenza Virus Transmission Is Dependent on Relative Humidity and Temperature". PLOS Pathogens. 3 (10): 1470–6. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.0030151. ISSN 1553-7366. PMC 2034399. PMID 17953482.
  • Steel, John; Lowen, Anice C.; Mubareka, Samira; Palese, Peter (2009-01-02). Baric, Ralph S. (ed.). "Transmission of Influenza Virus in a Mammalian Host Is Increased by PB2 Amino Acids 627K or 627E/701N". PLOS Pathogens. 5 (1): e1000252. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000252. ISSN 1553-7374. PMC 2603332. PMID 19119420.
  • Lowen, A. C.; Mubareka, S.; Tumpey, T. M.; Garcia-Sastre, A.; Palese, P. (2006-06-27). "The guinea pig as a transmission model for human influenza viruses". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 103 (26): 9988–9992. Bibcode:2006PNAS..103.9988L. doi:10.1073/pnas.0604157103. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 1502566. PMID 16785447.

References
  1. Nelson County Virginia Heritage 1807-2000. S. E. Grose.
  2. "Samira Mubarek - Sunnybrook Research Institute". sunnybrook.ca. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  3. "Faculty Research Database".
  4. Rappuoli, Rino; Giudice, Giuseppe Del (2008-10-04). Influenza Vaccines for the Future. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-3-7643-8371-8.
  5. Campigotto, Aaron; Simor, Andrew E.; McGeer, Allison; Kiss, Alexander; Mubareka, Samira (2018-10-01). "Nasal colonization with Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus among hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza". Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease. 92 (2): 133–135. doi:10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2018.05.007. ISSN 0732-8893. PMID 29884564.
  6. Jones, Kristie (2010-11-01). "Keeping infectious microbes in check". Hospital News. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  7. "Researchers look at humidity as a weapon in the fight against airborne viruses". Coast Mountain News. 2020-04-05. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  8. News; Canada (2020-01-30). "Coronavirus symptoms: What does being infected look like? | National Post". Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  9. Dobranowski, Alexis (2020-03-06). "Dr. Samira Mubareka: a leading expert in Sunnybrook's response to COVID-19". Your Health Matters. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  10. "Grant awarded to develop whole genome sequencing for COVID-19 - Sunnybrook Research Institute". sunnybrook.ca. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  11. Research, Canadian Institutes of Health (2020-03-06). "Government of Canada invests $27M in coronavirus research – Details of the funded projects". gcnws. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  12. "U of T and McMaster researchers at Sunnybrook Hospital isolate virus behind COVID-19". University of Toronto News. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  13. "Research team has isolated the COVID-19 virus - Sunnybrook Research Institute". sunnybrook.ca. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  14. "'We're learning more every day': How U of T is leading efforts to understand – and respond to – COVID-19". University of Toronto News. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  15. "U of T and Sunnybrook virologists work on tools to combat coronavirus outbreak". University of Toronto News. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  16. "Clinical management of severe acute respiratory infection when COVID-19 is suspected". www.who.int. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
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