Dr. Cameron Currie: Ant-Man and His Quest on Insect-Microbe Symbiosis

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major health crisis that occurs when microorganisms withstand medication designed to kill them, such as antibiotics or antivirals. An essential way to combat AMR is to discover new antimicrobials, such as antibiotics or antifungals. It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.

A way to combat AMR is by looking into ancient history of ant and fungus co-evolution. There is a symbiotic relationship between a diverse collection of ant species and fungi; they farm, protect, and harvest for food. Dr Currie’s lab is focused on harnessing antibiotic-producing bacteria that ants leverage to keep their fungal gardens free from disease as a source of novel antimicrobial medicines. He is isolating bacteria from the ants to determine if their microbes could be used to develop new antibiotics and medicine for drug-resistant bacteria and fungi.

Dr. Cameron Currie

Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University

AFFILIATION

Dr. Cameron Currie is a professor and principal investigator of the Currie Lab in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. 

ACADEMIC & TEACHING BACKGROUND

Undergraduate and graduate studies:

Dr Currie completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Alberta where he received a Bachelors of Science in Biological Sciences.

He also completed his Master’s degree at University of Alberta before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto.

Teaching and research career:

He spent 3 years as a faculty member in the University of Kansas Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology before moving his group to the Department of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015. There, is the co-founder of the Wisconsin Antimicrobial Drug Discovery Research Centre.

In 2022, Dr. Currie joined McMaster University to continue his research where he was given the title as McMaster’s “ant man”.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

The Currie lab focuses on symbiotic association between animals and microbes; in particular, harnessing an ant symbiont-antibiotic producing bacteria that ants utilize to keep their fungal gardens free from diseases. His research includes intricate work with charismatic leaf-cutter ants that has potential applications in antimicrobial drug discovery and the ability to potentially combat antimicrobial resistance. 

AWARDS & LEADERSHIP

• NSERC Doctoral Prize (2001)

• CAREER NSF Award (2008)

• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2009)

• CALS Pound Research Award (2011)

• Romnes Faculty Fellowship (2011)

• Fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology (2014)

• CHIR (2025)

EPISODE OVERVIEW

In this episode, we follow Dr. Cameron Currie as he takes us along the academic journey that has led him to his current achievements in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University. Dr Currie shares how he got started at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and how he feels about being known as the “ant man”. 

INTERVIEW

From YouTube channel of Office Hours: Unplugged