Heather Armstrong, MSc, PhDMED

Area of Study / Keywords

Gastroenterology Microbiome Nutrition Gut-Brain Axis Autoimmunity

About

Dr Armstrong completed her MSc in Cell Biology at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Paul LaPointe studying molecular chaperones, protein pathways, and their role in disease. She completed her PhD-MED at the University of Adelaide, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), with Dr. Wayne Tilley, Dr. Lisa Butler, Dr. Margaret Centenera, and Dr. Luke Selth, where she examined the efficacy and molecular mechanism of action of Heat Shock Protein inhibitors in the treatment of breast and prostate cancer through multi-omics and translational approaches. She went on to complete a fellowship with Dr. Eytan Wine in pediatric gastroenterology at the Stollery Children's Hospital at the University of Alberta studying clinical gastroenterology and translational microbiology with a focus on nutrition and IBD, where she was also a lecturer for the School of Medicine and Dentistry. 

As an assistant professor and tier 2 CRC at the University of Manitoba Department of Internal Medicine and University of Alberta Departments of Pediatrics/Medicine, she and her team continue to advance the field of nutrition, microbiology, and immunology research to improve the outcomes of patients suffering from inflammatory diseases and cancer. She is also the founder and director of the Translational Medicine Core within the Manitoba Centre for Proteomics and Systems Biology. 

Research

In collaboration with patient and community advocates, the Armstrong team has expanded their research focus, demonstrating that environmental factors promote changes in the gut microbiome composition and functions which are directly involved in diseases of the gut-brain axis. The gut microbiome in turn mediates whether the host elicits a beneficial or detrimental response to their diet and environment. The goal of the Armstrong lab is to uncover the factors influencing composition and functions of the gut microbiome (e.g., sleep, mental health, geography, ethnicity, genetics), how the gut microbiome mediates host response to diet and environment, and the role that the gut microbiome plays in conditions of the gut-brain axis (intestine, liver, CNS). The team studies how these factors change throughout life from pregnancy and infancy to adulthood. Moving forward, the team has several well-funded projects that seek to use these early findings to develop a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying these environment-microbiome-host interactions, supporting tailored dietary interventions and microbiome-altering therapies. The goal of these interventions is to re-establish a healthier gut microbiome to reduce disease burden and improve quality of life. The ongoing work is well supported through funding and collaborations with government, industry partners and clinical teams capable of developing products (biomarker tests, prebiotics and probiotics) along with delivering guidelines (apps) and whole-food diet advice (dietitians and physicians).