Dr. Nargis Khan
Affiliations
Assistant Professor
Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases
Full Member
The Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases
Child Health & Wellness Researcher
Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute
Member
Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute
Contact information
Phone number
office: 403-220-8859
Background
Biography
Dr. Khan completed her Ph.D. at Jawahar Lal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, in studying infectious diseases. She then joined McGill University in Montreal, Canada as a postdoctoral fellow, where her research focused on understanding the host defence mechanism against respiratory pathogens. In 2022, she joined the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. She is an Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Tuberculosis and other Respiratory Pathogens and a member of the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases. Her research program focuses on three conceptual frameworks of host defence: Host resistance, Disease tolerance and Trained immunity in inflammatory and chronic diseases.
Research
Areas of Research
- Inflammation and Chronic Diseases
For decades, immune memory was thought to be a defining feature of the adaptive immune system. The discovery of trained immunity has challenged this traditional view by demonstrating that innate immune cells and their progenitors can also retain long-lasting functional memory after exposure to infections, vaccines, or other immune stimuli. Dr. Nargis Khan’s research program focuses on understanding how this form of innate immune memory is established, maintained, and ultimately shapes health and disease. Her research is rooted in respiratory pathogens, particularly tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, where she investigates how infection-induced immune reprogramming influences host defense and disease outcomes. Her work has shown that immune responses to infection can extend beyond the immediate encounter with a pathogen, producing durable changes that influence how the host responds to subsequent challenges. Building on this expertise, her research has expanded to investigate how trained immunity can be harnessed to modulate chronic inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Her recent work focuses on how early-life vaccination can establish long-lasting changes in immune function that influence susceptibility to intestinal inflammation. She recently received a CIHR Project Grant to investigate how early-life vaccination shapes immune responses and protects against IBD. Her current research builds on this concept by asking whether long-lasting immune changes induced by vaccination or prior inflammatory exposure can also influence the development and progression of colorectal cancer, particularly in the setting of chronic inflammation. This emerging direction brings together her expertise in trained immunity, infection, inflammation, and tissue-specific immune regulation. Ultimately, Dr. Khan’s research seeks to redefine how we understand immune memory and determine how this previously underappreciated form of innate memory can be harnessed to promote long-term protection against infection, chronic inflammatory disease, and inflammation-associated cancer.
Participation in university strategic initiatives
Awards
- Canada Research Chair in Tuberculosis and other Respiratory Pathogens, CIHR. 2023
- John R Evans Leaders Fund, Canadian Foundations for Innovation JELF. 2023
- CFI BRIF CL3 Upgrade Competition , Canadian Foundations for Innovation. 2022
- VPR Catalyst Grant, University of Calgary. 2022
- Scholar Award, National Sanitarium Association. 2025
Publications
- β-Glucan reprograms neutrophils to promote disease tolerance against influenza A virus. Nargis Khan #, Kim A Tran #, Raphael Chevre, Veronica Locher, Mathis Richter, Sarah Sun, Mina Sadeghi, Erwan Pernet, Andrea Herrero-Cervera, Alexandre Grant, Ahmed Saif, Jeffrey Downey, Eva Kaufmann, Shabaana Abdul Khader, Philippe Joubert, Luis B Barreiro, Bryan G Yipp, Oliver Soehnlein, Maziar Divangahi . Nature Immunology. (2025)
- Neonatal imprinting of alveolar macrophages via neutrophil-derived 12-HETE. Erwan Pernet, Sarah Sun, Nicole Sarden, Saideep Gona, Angela Nguyen, Nargis Khan, Martin Mawhinney, Kim A Tran, Julia Chronopoulos, Dnyandeo Amberkar, Mina Sadeghi, Alexandre Grant, Shradha Wali, Renaud Prevel, Jun Ding, James G Martin, Ajitha Thanabalasuriar, Bryan G Yipp, Luis B Barreiro, Maziar Divangahi. Nature. (2023)
- Human alveolar macrophage metabolism is compromised during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Laura E Mendonca*, Erwan Pernet*, Nargis Khan*, Joaquin Sanz, Eva Kaufmann, Jeffrey Downey, Alexandre Grant, Marianna Orlova, Erwin Schurr, Connie Krawczyk, Russell G Jones, Luis B Barreiro, Maziar Divangahi * Equal contribution. Frontiers in Immunology. (2023)
- Brain motor and fear circuits regulate leukocytes during acute stress. Wolfram C Poller, Jeffrey Downey, Agnes A Mooslechner, Nargis Khan, Long Li, Christopher T Chan, Cameron S McAlpine, Chunliang Xu, Florian Kahles, Shun He, Henrike Janssen, John E Mindur, Sumnima Singh, Máté G Kiss, Laura Alonso-Herranz, Yoshiko Iwamoto, Rainer H Kohler, Lai Ping Wong, Kashish Chetal, Scott J Russo, Ruslan I Sadreyev, Ralph Weissleder, Matthias Nahrendorf, Paul S Frenette, Maziar Divangahi, Filip K Swirski. Nature. (2022)
- BCG vaccination provides protection against IAV but not SARS-CoV-2. Eva Kaufmann*, Nargis Khan*, Kim A Tran, Antigona Ulndreaj, Erwan Pernet, Ghislaine Fontes, Andréanne Lupien, Patrice Desmeules, Fiona McIntosh, Amina Abow, Simone JCFM Moorlag, Priya Debisarun, Karen Mossman, Arinjay Banerjee, Danielle Karo-Atar, Mina Sadeghi, Samira Mubareka, Donald C Vinh, Irah L King, Clinton S Robbins, Marcel A Behr, Mihai G Netea, Philippe Joubert, Maziar Divangahi *Equal Contribution. Cell Reports. (2022)
- M. tuberculosis reprograms hematopoietic stem cells to limit myelopoiesis and impair trained immunity. Nargis Khan, Jeffrey Downey, Joaquin Sanz, Eva Kaufmann, Birte Blankenhaus, Alain Pacis, Erwan Pernet, Eisha Ahmed, Silvia Cardoso, Anastasia Nijnik, Bruce Mazer, Christopher Sassetti, Marcel A Behr, Miguel P Soares, Luis B Barreiro, Maziar Divangahi. Cell. (2020)
- Trained immunity, tolerance, priming and differentiation: distinct immunological processes. Maziar Divangahi, Peter Aaby, Shabaana Abdul Khader, Luis B Barreiro, Siroon Bekkering, Triantafyllos Chavakis, Reinout van Crevel, Nigel Curtis, Andrew R DiNardo, Jorge Dominguez-Andres, Raphael Duivenvoorden, Stephanie Fanucchi, Zahi Fayad, Elaine Fuchs, Melanie Hamon, Kate L Jeffrey, Nargis Khan, Leo AB Joosten, Eva Kaufmann, Eicke Latz, Giuseppe Matarese, Jos WM van der Meer, Musa Mhlanga, Simone JCFM Moorlag, Willem JM Mulder, Shruti Naik, Boris Novakovic, Luke O’Neill, Jordi Ochando, Keiko Ozato, Niels P Riksen, Robert Sauerwein, Edward R Sherwood, Andreas Schlitzer, Joachim L Schultze, Michael H Sieweke, Christine Stabell Benn, Henk Stunnenberg, Joseph Sun, Frank L van de Veerdonk, Sebastian Weis, David L Williams, Ramnik Xavier, Mihai G Netea. Nature Immunology. (2021)
- Novel approaches to preventing phagosomal infections: timing is key. Nathan C Peters, Nargis Khan, Christopher H Mody. Trends in Immunology. (2022)
- Intestinal dysbiosis compromises alveolar macrophage immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Nargis Khan, Laura Mendonca, Achal Dhariwal, Ghislaine Fontes, Dick Menzies, Jianguo Xia, Maziar Divangahi , Irah L King. Mucosal Immunology. (2019)
- β-Glucan Induces Protective Trained Immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection: A Key Role for IL-1. Simone J C F M Moorlag, Nargis Khan, Boris Novakovic, Eva Kaufmann, Trees Jansen, Reinout van Crevel, Maziar Divangahi, Mihai G Netea. (2020)
- BCG Educates Hematopoietic Stem Cells to Generate Protective Innate Immunity against Tuberculosis.. Kaufmann E, Sanz J, Dunn JL, Khan N, Mendonça LE, Pacis A, Tzelepis F, Pernet E, Dumaine A, Grenier JC, Mailhot-Léonard F, Ahmed E, Belle J, Besla R, Mazer B, King IL, Nijnik A, Robbins CS, Barreiro LB, Divangahi M.. Cell. (2018)
Are you the profile owner?
Login to edit.