Lee-Hwa Tai

Prix et distinctions

• (2025) Diego Bellabarba Prize for the Quality of Mentorship. Université de Sherbrooke.
• (2025) Member. Royal Society of Canada.
• (2023) Pierre and Danielle Bourgaux Prize for the Top Early Career Researcher. Université de Sherbrooke.
• (2023) Tremplin Prize for Exceptional Research and Innovation Contributions by an Early Career Researcher. Université de Sherbrooke.

Financement

• Subvention. Harnessing blood-derived immune cells to overcome challenges in TIL therapy. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Ottawa, Canada). Project Grant. 1 009 800 $. (2025-2030).
• Subvention salariée. Treating poor prognosis cancers with viro-immunotherapies. Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé (Montreal, Canada). Senior Researcher-Scholar Salary Award. 225 754 $. (2025-2029).
• Subvention. Precision virotherapy to treat bladder cancer. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Ottawa, Canada). Project Grant. 814 726 $. (2024-2029).
• Subvention. Improving autologous cancer cell vaccines for triple negative breast cancer. Canadian Cancer Society (Toronto, Canada). Emerging Scholars Award. 500 000 $. (2021-2026).
• Subvention salariée. Modulating the tumor microenvironment with virotherapy to treat metastatic cancers. Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé (Montreal, Canada). Junior 2 Researcher-Scholar Salary Award. 218 767 $. (2021-2025).
• Subvention. CRMUS Chair for Translational Immunotherapy Research. Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke (QC, Canada). Institutional Chair. 200 000 $. (2019-2024).
• Subvention. Treating metastatic disease of triple negative breast cancer with an immunogenic cancer vaccine. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Ottawa, Canada). Project Grant. 703 800 $. (2019-2024).
• Subvention salariée. Developing therapeutic viruses for poor prognosis cancers. Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé (Montreal, Canada). Junior 1 Researcher-Scholar Salary Award. 246 321 $. (2016-2020).
• Subvention salariée. Developing therapeutic viruses for poor prognosis cancers. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Ottawa, Canada). New Investigator Award. 300 000 $. (2016-2021).

Publications

Articles

• Haroun R, Rutihinda C, Diallo AH, Ordonez JP, Nassri S, Shams A, Pacheco MFM, Saidi NE, Bouchard L, Turgeon GA, Gris D, Tai LH, Oweida AJ. (2025). Toll-like receptor 4 inhibition sensitizes non-small cell lung cancer to radiotherapy. Cancer biology & therapy. DOI
• Meza Pacheco MF, Tai LH. (2025). Reprogramming the tumor microenvironment to boost adoptive T cell therapy. Frontiers in immunology. DOI
• Neil K, Génier S, Poisson MÈ, Douchin J, Giguère H, Daniel L, Gonzalez MF, Huang S, Trinh VQ, Tai LH, Rodrigue S, Millau JF. (2025). Nanofilament immunotherapy induces potent antitumor vaccine responses. Journal for immunotherapy of cancer. DOI
• Daniel L, Ndiaye KS, Giguère H, Custeau LJ, Léger JL, St-Cyr G, Ndongo NE, Richard PO, Tai LH. (2025). Intravesical VSVd51-GM-CSF virotherapy is superior to BCG in treating bladder cancer in preclinical and translational models. Molecular therapy. Oncology. DOI
• St-Cyr G, Daniel L, Giguère H, Birtch R, Ilkow CS, Tai LH. (2025). Therapeutic limitations of oncolytic VSVd51-mediated miR-199a-5p delivery in triple negative breast cancer models. Scientific reports. DOI
• Tai LH. (2025). Canada's postgraduate funding gap is still yawning even after budget increases. Nature. DOI
• Rezaei R, Boulton S, Ahmadi M, Petryk J, Da Silva M, Kooshki Zamani N, Singaravelu R, St-Laurent G, Daniel L, Sadeghipour A, Pelin A, Poutou J, Munoz Zuniga AI, Choy C, Gilchrist VH, Khalid Z, Austin B, Onsu KA, Marius R, ... Azad T. (2024). Antibiotic-mediated selection of randomly mutagenized and cytokine-expressing oncolytic viruses. Nature biomedical engineering. DOI
• Parent-Roberge H, Fontvieille A, Poirier L, Tai LH, Pavic M, Fülöp T, Riesco E. (2024). Acute natural killer cells response to a continuous moderate intensity and a work-matched high intensity interval exercise session in metastatic cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. Brain, behavior, & immunity - health. DOI
• Amhis N, Carignan J, Tai LH. (2024). Transforming pancreaticobiliary cancer treatment: Exploring the frontiers of adoptive cell therapy and cancer vaccines. Molecular therapy. Oncology. DOI
• Léger JL, Tai LH. (2023). Gaining insights into virotherapy with canine models. Molecular therapy oncolytics. DOI
• Brière R, Émond M, Benhamed A, Blanchard PG, Drolet S, Habashi R, Golbon B, Shellenberger J, Pasternak J, Merchant S, La J, Sawhney M, Brogly S, Cadili L, Horkoff M, Ainslie S, Demetrick J, Chai B, Wiseman K, ... Nicholls S. (2023). 2023 Canadian Surgery Forum: Sept. 20-23, 2023. Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie. DOI
• Bikorimana JP, El-Hachem N, Moreau M, Lawson C, Tai LH, Gonçalves M, Abusarah J, Beaudoin S, Stanga D, Plouffe S, Rafei M. (2023). Intratumoral administration of unconjugated Accum™ impairs the growth of pre-established solid lymphoma tumors. Cancer science. DOI
• Azad T, Rezaei R, Singaravelu R, Pelin A, Boulton S, Petryk J, Onsu KA, Martin NT, Hoskin V, Ghahremani M, Marotel M, Marius R, He X, Crupi MJF, Hoang HD, Nik-Akhtar A, Ahmadi M, Zamani NK, Golshani A, ... Bell JC. (2023). Synthetic virology approaches to improve the safety and efficacy of oncolytic virus therapies. Nature communications. DOI
• Surendran A, Jamalkhah M, Poutou J, Birtch R, Lawson C, Dave J, Crupi MJF, Mayer J, Taylor V, Petryk J, de Souza CT, Moodie N, Billingsley JL, Austin B, Cormack N, Blamey N, Rezaei R, McCloskey CW, Fekete EEF, ... Ilkow CS. (2023). Fatty acid transport protein inhibition sensitizes breast and ovarian cancers to oncolytic virus therapy <i>via</i> lipid modulation of the tumor microenvironment. Frontiers in immunology. DOI
• Mansouri S, Daniel L, Amhis N, Leveille M, Boudreau JE, Alkayyal AA, Collin Y, Tai LH. (2023). Perioperative oncolytic virotherapy to counteract surgery-induced immunosuppression and improve outcomes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Frontiers in oncology. DOI
• Niavarani SR, St-Cyr G, Daniel L, Lawson C, Giguère H, Alkayyal AA, Tai LH. (2023). Heterologous prime-boost cellular vaccination induces potent antitumor immunity against triple negative breast cancer. Frontiers in immunology. DOI
• Marchand B, Poulin MA, Lawson C, Tai LH, Jean S, Boucher MJ. (2023). Gemcitabine promotes autophagy and lysosomal function through ERK- and TFEB-dependent mechanisms. Cell death discovery. DOI
• St-Cyr G, Penarroya D, Daniel L, Giguère H, Alkayyal AA, Tai LH. (2023). Remodeling the tumor immune microenvironment with oncolytic viruses expressing miRNAs. Frontiers in immunology. DOI
• Angka L, Tanese de Souza C, Baxter KE, Khan ST, Market M, Martel AB, Tai LH, Kennedy MA, Bell JC, Auer RC. (2022). Perioperative arginine prevents metastases by accelerating natural killer cell recovery after surgery. Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy. DOI
• Clément AA, Lamarche D, Masse MH, Légaré C, Tai LH, Fleury Deland L, Battista MC, Bouchard L, D'Aragon F. (2022). Time-course full profiling of circulating miRNAs in neurologically deceased organ donors: a proof of concept study to understand the onset of the cytokine storm. Epigenetics. DOI
• Rangsitratkul C, Lawson C, Bernier-Godon F, Niavarani SR, Boudaud M, Rouleau S, Gladu-Corbin AO, Surendran A, Ekindi-Ndongo N, Koti M, Ilkow CS, Richard PO, Tai LH. (2022). Intravesical immunotherapy with a GM-CSF armed oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus improves outcome in bladder cancer. Molecular therapy oncolytics. DOI
• Seely D, Legacy M, Auer RC, Fazekas A, Delic E, Anstee C, Angka L, Kennedy MA, Tai LH, Zhang T, Maziak DE, Shamji FM, Sundaresan RS, Gilbert S, Villeneuve PJ, Ashrafi AS, Inculet R, Yasufuku K, Waddell TK, ... Seely AJE. (2021). Adjuvant melatonin for the prevention of recurrence and mortality following lung cancer resection (AMPLCaRe): A randomized placebo controlled clinical trial. EClinicalMedicine. DOI
• Masse MH, Battista MC, Wilcox ME, Pinto R, Marinoff N, D'Aragon F, St-Arnaud C, Mayette M, Leclair MA, Quiroz Martinez H, Grondin-Beaudoin B, Poulin Y, Carbonneau É, Seely AJE, Watpool I, Porteous R, Chassé M, Lebrasseur M, Lauzier F, ... Canadian Critical Care Trials Group. (2020). Optimal VAsopressor TitraTION in patients 65 years and older (OVATION-65): protocol and statistical analysis plan for a randomised clinical trial. BMJ open. DOI
• Paquette M, Phoenix S, Lawson C, Guérin B, Lecomte R, Tai LH, Turcotte ÉE, Leyton JV. (2020). A preclinical PET dual-tracer imaging protocol for ER and HER2 phenotyping in breast cancer xenografts. EJNMMI research. DOI
• (2020). Oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus–based cellular vaccine improves triple-negative breast cancer outcome by enhancing natural killer and CD8+T-cell functionality. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. DOI
• (2019). Lipid accumulation impairs natural killer cell cytotoxicity and tumor control in the postoperative period. BMC Cancer. DOI
• (2019). Treatment of Metastatic Disease through Natural Killer Cell Modulation by Infected Cell Vaccines. Viruses. DOI
• (2018). Combining surgery and immunotherapy: turning an immunosuppressive effect into a therapeutic opportunity. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. DOI
• Tai LH, Ananth AA, Seth R, Alkayyal A, Zhang J, de Souza CT, Staibano P, Kennedy MA, Auer RC. (2018). Correction to: Sepsis increases perioperative metastases in a murine model. BMC cancer. DOI
• Tai LH, Alkayyal AA, Leslie AL, Sahi S, Bennett S, Tanese de Souza C, Baxter K, Angka L, Xu R, Kennedy MA, Auer RC. (2018). Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition reduces postoperative metastatic disease by targeting surgery-induced myeloid derived suppressor cell-dependent inhibition of Natural Killer cell cytotoxicity. Oncoimmunology. DOI
• Alkayyal AA, Tai LH, Kennedy MA, de Souza CT, Zhang J, Lefebvre C, Sahi S, Ananth AA, Mahmoud AB, Makrigiannis AP, Cron GO, Macdonald B, Marginean EC, Stojdl DF, Bell JC, Auer RC. (2017). NK-Cell Recruitment Is Necessary for Eradication of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis with an IL12-Expressing Maraba Virus Cellular Vaccine. Cancer immunology research. DOI
• Ananth AA, Tai LH, Lansdell C, Alkayyal AA, Baxter KE, Angka L, Zhang J, de Souza CT, Stephenson KB, Parato K, Bramson JL, Bell JC, Lichty BD, Auer RC. (2016). Correction: Surgical Stress Abrogates Pre-Existing Protective T Cell Mediated Anti-Tumor Immunity Leading to Postoperative Cancer Recurrence. PloS one. DOI
• Tai LH, Auer R. (2014). Attacking Postoperative Metastases using Perioperative Oncolytic Viruses and Viral Vaccines. Frontiers in oncology. DOI
• Zhang J, Tai LH, Ilkow CS, Alkayyal AA, Ananth AA, de Souza CT, Wang J, Sahi S, Ly L, Lefebvre C, Falls TJ, Stephenson KB, Mahmoud AB, Makrigiannis AP, Lichty BD, Bell JC, Stojdl DF, Auer RC. (2014). Maraba MG1 virus enhances natural killer cell function via conventional dendritic cells to reduce postoperative metastatic disease. Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy. DOI
• Tai LH, Tanese de Souza C, Sahi S, Zhang J, Alkayyal AA, Ananth AA, Auer RA. (2014). A mouse tumor model of surgical stress to explore the mechanisms of postoperative immunosuppression and evaluate novel perioperative immunotherapies. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE. DOI
• McFall E, Tu MM, Al-Khattabi N, Tai LH, St-Laurent AS, Tzankova V, Hall CW, Belanger S, Troke AD, Wight A, Mahmoud AB, Zein HS, Rahim MM, Carlyle JR, Makrigiannis AP. (2013). Optimized tetramer analysis reveals Ly49 promiscuity for MHC ligands. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). DOI
• Tai LH, Zhang J, Auer RC. (2013). Preventing surgery-induced NK cell dysfunction and cancer metastases with influenza vaccination. Oncoimmunology. DOI
• Tai LH, Zhang J, Scott KJ, de Souza CT, Alkayyal AA, Ananth AA, Sahi S, Adair RA, Mahmoud AB, Sad S, Bell JC, Makrigiannis AP, Melcher AA, Auer RC. (2013). Perioperative influenza vaccination reduces postoperative metastatic disease by reversing surgery-induced dysfunction in natural killer cells. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. DOI
• Seth R, Tai LH, Falls T, de Souza CT, Bell JC, Carrier M, Atkins H, Boushey R, Auer RA. (2013). Surgical stress promotes the development of cancer metastases by a coagulation-dependent mechanism involving natural killer cells in a murine model. Annals of surgery. DOI
• Rahim MM, Tai LH, Troke AD, Mahmoud AB, Abou-Samra E, Roy JG, Mottashed A, Ault N, Corbeil C, Goulet ML, Zein HS, Hamilton-Valensky M, Krystal G, Kerr WG, Toyama-Sorimachi N, Makrigiannis AP. (2013). Ly49Q positively regulates type I IFN production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells in an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif-dependent manner. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). DOI
• Tai LH, de Souza CT, Bélanger S, Ly L, Alkayyal AA, Zhang J, Rintoul JL, Ananth AA, Lam T, Breitbach CJ, Falls TJ, Kirn DH, Bell JC, Makrigiannis AP, Auer RA. (2012). Preventing postoperative metastatic disease by inhibiting surgery-induced dysfunction in natural killer cells. Cancer research. DOI
• Bélanger S, Tu MM, Rahim MM, Mahmoud AB, Patel R, Tai LH, Troke AD, Wilhelm BT, Landry JR, Zhu Q, Tung KS, Raulet DH, Makrigiannis AP. (2012). Impaired natural killer cell self-education and "missing-self" responses in Ly49-deficient mice. Blood. DOI
• Rintoul JL, Lemay CG, Tai LH, Stanford MM, Falls TJ, de Souza CT, Bridle BW, Daneshmand M, Ohashi PS, Wan Y, Lichty BD, Mercer AA, Auer RC, Atkins HL, Bell JC. (2012). ORFV: a novel oncolytic and immune stimulating parapoxvirus therapeutic. Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy. DOI
• Patel R, Bélanger S, Tai LH, Troke AD, Makrigiannis AP. (2010). Effect of Ly49 haplotype variance on NK cell function and education. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). DOI
• Carlyle JR, Mesci A, Fine JH, Chen P, Bélanger S, Tai LH, Makrigiannis AP. (2008). Evolution of the Ly49 and Nkrp1 recognition systems. Seminars in immunology. DOI
• Colina R, Costa-Mattioli M, Dowling RJ, Jaramillo M, Tai LH, Breitbach CJ, Martineau Y, Larsson O, Rong L, Svitkin YV, Makrigiannis AP, Bell JC, Sonenberg N. (2008). Translational control of the innate immune response through IRF-7. Nature. DOI
• Tai LH, Goulet ML, Belanger S, Troke AD, St-Laurent AG, Mesci A, Toyama-Sorimachi N, Carlyle JR, Makrigiannis AP. (2007). Recognition of H-2K(b) by Ly49Q suggests a role for class Ia MHC regulation of plasmacytoid dendritic cell function. Molecular immunology. DOI
• Carlyle JR, Mesci A, Ljutic B, Belanger S, Tai LH, Rousselle E, Troke AD, Proteau MF, Makrigiannis AP. (2006). Molecular and genetic basis for strain-dependent NK1.1 alloreactivity of mouse NK cells. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). DOI

Autres contributions

Cours enseignés ou supervisés à l'UdeS

• IML600 - Immunologie moléculaire. (2026). (2CR).
• IML721 - Le système immunitaire : développement et fonctionnement. (2023-2025). (2CR).

Activités professionnelles

• Canadian Cancer Society. Advisory Council on Research. Scientific Vice Chair. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (2024-).
• Poste d'invité. Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. Investigator Advisory Committee. Scientific Member. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (2024-).
• Canadian Society for Immunology. Executive Council. Elected Council Member. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (2023-).
• American Society of Gene Therapy and Cell Therapy. Infectious Disease and Vaccines Committee. Member. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, États-Unis. (2023-).
• CIHR. CIHR Institute of Cancer Research. Advisory Board Member. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (2021-).