Alberta BioIndustry Hall Of Fame
We recognize individuals who have made extensive contributions to Alberta’s life sciences community. You can also visit the Hall of Fame in person at the BioAlberta office.
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How are members selected?
The BioAlberta Board of Directors selects inductees based on the notable impact of an individual’s work or lifetime achievement. Recipients are known to be passionate advocates for science and technology, accomplished scientists, or business leaders and mentors whose dedication leaves an indelible mark in the life sciences sector.
Inductees
2023
Christopher G. Micetich
Christopher G. Micetich is an accomplished author and entrepreneur with over three decades of experience launching businesses. Christopher presently serves as President & CEO of Brass Dome Ventures Ltd., a management consulting firm focused on providing services to innovators and entrepreneurs, and Fedora Pharmaceuticals Inc., an anti-infective drug discovery company founded in 2011.
Christopher has employed over 1,000 people from around the globe and, was once the largest employer of PhD chemists in Canada! In 2020 with the University of Alberta, Christopher created Innovation Masterminds (imYEG), a disruptive pre-accelerator, created, driven and facilitated by industry to help advance innovation from post-secondary institutes in Alberta. Christopher also serves as a board member, advisor and mentor with several organizations in the province.
Accepting this award, Christopher said: “I am extremely honoured and humbled to be included amongst Alberta’s finest key opinion leaders who have dedicated their careers to supporting and promoting our province’s life sciences sector. BioAlberta’s BioIndustry Hall of Fame has a very long tradition of recognizing and celebrating individuals who have left their mark and made a difference not only in Alberta, but throughout the world. There are no words that can describe my gratitude for having my name now forever etched in history alongside all those Alberta Champions who have mentored and supported myself, including my own Father, early in my career.”
2021
Sir Michael Houghton
Born in the United Kingdom, Houghton graduated from the University of East Anglia with a BSc in biological sciences in 1972, and subsequently completed his PhD in biochemistry at King's College, University of London in 1977. Houghton joined G. D. Searle & Company in the UK studying human interferon gene regulation before moving to Chiron Corporation in 1982 where together with Chiron colleagues Qui-Lim Choo and George Kuo, and Daniel W. Bradley from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, first discovered HCV in 1989. Houghton was co-author of a series of seminal studies published in 1989 and 1990 that identified hepatitis C antibodies in blood, particularly among patients at higher risk of contracting the disease, including those who had received blood transfusions. This work led to the development of a blood screening test in 1990, and widespread blood screening that began in 1992 with the development of more sensitive tests which has eliminated hepatitis C contamination of donated blood supplies in Canada and around the world. His group also identified key enzymes in the viral replication cycle that have been the target of successful drug development by international Pharma companies.
2019
Dr. Jacqueline Shan
With over 25 years of industry experience, Dr. Shan has led the way in bringing natural medicine into the mainstream. Her innovative evidence-based approach to natural health products has set the standard for quality and efficacy in the industry. In 1995, she co-developed a technology that identifies the chemical profile and biological activity of natural health products, ensuring batch-to-batch consistency. This technology would eventually lead to the discovery of COLD-FX, which quickly became the number one selling cold and flu remedy in Canada.
A pioneer in evidence-based natural products and multiple award recipient in research and science- most recently, the NHP Research Society of Canada’s Top Science 2015 Neil Towers “Pride of Burma” Award- Dr. Shan continues to be an inspired innovator and champion in the Natural Products area.
Dr. Richard Fedorak
Fedorak was promoted to professor of medicine in 1996. He took on multiple leadership roles throughout the course of his career, including president of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (1999-2000) and president of the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation (2007-2018). At the U of A he would serve as director of the Division of Gastroenterology (1996-2006), director of the Northern Alberta Clinical Trials and Research Centre (2005-2015), associate vice-resident (Research) (2010-2013), interim dean (2015-2016) and dean of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry from November 2016 until his passing.
Under his leadership, the Division of Gastroenterology became a world-class clinical and research centre and he established both the Capital Health Colon Cancer Screening Program (SCOPE) and the Zeidler Gastrointestinal Health Centre.
A firm believer in the power of collaborative work, as dean he built closer ties with Alberta Health Services and other key partners such as the University Hospital Foundation, helped guide the City of Edmonton’s Health City initiative and drove the launch of the University of Alberta Health Accelerator program in partnership with TEC Edmonton.
He was also instrumental in helping the U of A secure several major gifts, including a combined $54.5-million gift from the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation and Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation to the Women and Children's Health Research Institute―the largest gift in the university’s history.
According to Dennis Kunimoto, interim dean, Fedorak’s greatest accomplishment in the faculty was his effort to reinvigorate a sense of pride he felt had lagged in recent years.
“Richard was always going at 110 per cent, trying to make things happen,” remembered Kunimoto. “Most people who had a serious illness would have just stopped working, but he didn't. There was just so much left that he wanted to try and do.”
2012
Dr. Art Froehlich
Art Froehlich’s roots in the world of agriculture reach back to his childhood on the family farm in east central Saskatchewan.
With an undergraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan and an Executive MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, Art has spent the last 35 years working in primary food production, agri-business and agrimarketing in Canada, United States, Europe, South America and Asia. Art has served as the president of AdFarm, President of Westcan Malting, General Manager of Operations for Alberta Wheat Pool and the Director of Sales and Marketing at Hoechst Canada. In 2005, Art received the distinguished Agrologist Award from the Alberta Institute of Agrologists and the Alberta Centennial Gold Medal by the Province of Alberta.
Corporate & Community Affiliations
• Member, Board of Trustees, ABIC Foundation and currently organizing conferences in Canada for 2013
• Past Chair Advisory Committee University of Alberta Faculty of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences
• Member Board of Directors, AdFarm
• Member, Board of Directors, Prince Rupert Grain Ltd.
• Board Chair Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions Corporation
• Member Board of Directors & Past Chair Alberta Value Added Corporation (AVAC)
• Member, Board of Directors, ATB Financial, Chair Governance Committee
• Member, Board of Directors Canadian Agriculture Policy Research Institute (CAPI)
• Member, Board of Directors FBSciences
• Member, Board of Directors Hokanson Capital Inc.
2010
Dr. Marvin J. Fritzler
Marvin Fritzler was born in Vulcan, Alberta and was educated at the University of Alberta (BSc Zoology in 1968) and, under the supervision of Dr. Bob Church and the sponsorship of a National Research Council Scholarship, completed a PhD at the University of Calgary in 1971. He completed a MD degree at the University of Calgary in 1974. After completing his training in Internal Medicine in Calgary, he was awarded a Medical Research Council Fellowship and went to The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA and then to the University of Colorado as a clinical research fellow (1976-1978) under the mentorship of Dr. Eng Tan. In 1978, Dr. Fritzler joined the University of Calgary as an Arthritis Society Scientist and in 1981 he became an Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) Scholar. Dr. Fritzler was promoted to Full Professor in 1987 and was awarded a prestigious AHFMR Medical Scientist Award in 2001. Starting in 1995, he served a term as Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty of Medicine before assuming the Arthritis Society Chair in 1999.He is currently Chair of the Alberta Science and Research Authority and is a member of the Alberta Bone and Joint Institute and serves on the Executive of the Institute for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation.
Dr. Fritzler’s research has focused on the identification of novel autoantigens that are the targets of the immune response in a number of autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, Sjögren’s syndrome, idiopathic ataxia and rheumatoid arthritis. Dr Fritzler’s discoveries have lead to the identification of a number of novel components of cell organelles (centromere, centrosome, mitotic spindle apparatus, Golgi complex, and endosome) and the recent identification of a new organelle referred to as GW bodies. These studies have lead to the development of new diagnostic assays and technologies for autoimmune diseases. Dr. Fritzler has also actively studied how drugs, chemicals (xenobiotics) and other environmental agents affect the immune system and initiate autoimmune diseases. This has lead to his seminal discovery that the primary target of drug-induced lupus is nuclear histones. In addition, he has studied the role of mercury in scleroderma and has conducted a number of population studies in Ft. McMurray, Swan Hills, Ft. Saskatchewan and Lake Wabamun with the sponsorship of the Department of Alberta Health and Wellness.
2009
Dr. Gerard Tertzakian
Dr Tertzakian received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry (Hons) from the University of Sheffield, England in 1958. He went on to earn his PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry at the University of Saskatchewan in 1962. Following two years as post-doctorate fellow at NRC in Saskatoon, he was appointed assistant professor of chemistry at the California State University, San Jose in 1964. In 1966, Dr Tertzakian relocated to Edmonton where he accepted a position with Raylo Chemicals Ltd. He spent five years at Raylo achieving the position of Sales Manager.
In 1971, he left Raylo Chemicals and founded Terochem Laboratories Ltd in Edmonton, as a manufacturer of speciality chemicals for the international market. Soon, Terochem also created a distribution arm and become a major supplier of lab equipment and chemicals across Canada. In 1981, Terochem Laboratories acquired Raylo Chemicals Ltd and substantially increased its research and manufacturing capabilities. In 1988, the entire company was acquired by the British multinational Laporte plc. With 200 employees, Raylo is now a renowned manufacturer of experimental and specialised pharmaceuticals, successfully competing on world markets.
While continuing to serve as president of Raylo Chemicals until 1994, Dr Tertzakian was also appointed the Divisional Commercial Director for Laporte Organics, UK. In this position he was responsible for the international marketing of products from Edmonton and England. During the period, divisional sales increased from about $60 to $90 million.
More recently, he was instrumental in merging three Alberta biomedical technology firms into a new company, Cytovax Biotechnologies Inc where he served as its founding President until September 1999. Cytovax is now a public company (TSX: CXB) involved in the development and marketing of vaccines and therapeutics against infectious diseases. He was also the Senior Advisor to the Industry Liaison Office of the University of Alberta, which specialises in technology transfer and the founding of spin-off companies, and the University's Partnership and Innovation office, engaged in university-industry relations.
Dr Tertzakian has extensive committee and board experience. Among others, he was co-founder and founding president of the Edmonton Council for Advanced Technology (ECAT) and member of the federal government's Sectoral Advisory Group on International Trade (SAGIT) during the Canada-US free trade negotiations. He has served as chairman of the Edmonton Research Park Authority and the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network, and director of Economic Development Edmonton, Edmonton Opera and the Alberta Research Council. In Ottawa, he is on the selection committees of CFI and Synergy Awards and the NRC/IRAP Advisory Board. He is now on the board of directors of several technology companies including Cytovax Biotechnologies Inc, Lacent Technologies Inc.
Dr Tertzakian's academic and business accomplishments have led him to several awards, including the Canadian Advanced Technology Association award for emerging technology, Fellowship in the Canadian Society for Chemistry, the Governor General’s 125th Anniversary Medal, and Alberta Businessman of the Year award.
2008
Dr. William Cochrane
Dr. Cochrane was born in Toronto and graduated in Medicine from the University of Toronto. He did postgraduate work in pediatrics and research in diseases of children in various centres including the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto; Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation; Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston; Great Ormand Street Hospital, London, England and the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, England. He participated in the Executive training program at the Business Faculty, Stanford University.
He was in pediatric practice for three years in Toronto and moved to Halifax in 1958 beginning Professor and Head of Department of Pediatrics Dalhousie Medical School in 1963, where he remained until 1967. He was intimately involved with the planning development and financing of the I. W. Killam Hospital for Children in Halifax. He moved to Calgary, Alberta in July 1967, as founding Dean of Medicine of the new Faculty of Medicine of the University of Calgary. He was heavily involved with the curriculum planning, recruiting Faculty and designing and building a Health Sciences Centre in Calgary. He resigned this position in July 1973, at which time he was seconded by the Government of Alberta to serve as Deputy Minister Health Services for a period of two years. In fact, he served only one year as Deputy Minister due to his appointment in August 1974 as President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Calgary. In late 1978, he assumed a business career as Chairman, President and CEO of Connaught Laboratories Ltd., subsequently acquired by Institute Merieux, Lyon France in 1989.
Dr. Cochrane is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a Diplomat of the American Board of Pediatrics and Fellow, American Board of Nutrition. He has been a member of numerous medical and research societies in Canada and the United States, and was President of the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation in 1964 and President of the Canadian Pediatric Society in 1965. He was awarded the Borden Award of the Nutrition Society of Canada for his scientific research into metabolic diseases of children. He was made Honorary Medicine Chief of the Stoney Indians of Alberta for his contribution to the health care of the Indian people.
He has received honorary degrees (LL.D.) from the University of Calgary and Dalhousie University in Halifax, and a Doctorate of Science (D.Sc.) from Acadia University. In 1977, he received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and in December 1989 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1992, he received the 125th Commemorative Medal from the Government of Canada. In 1999, the Ottawa Life Sciences Council awarded him the
National Merit Award for his contribution to Biotechnology in Canada. In 2004, the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Awards Foundation awarded him the Outstanding Contribution to the Alberta Science and Technology Community. In 2002 Dr. Cochrane received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for his many contributions to Canada, as well as a BioAlberta Association Award for his contribution to biotechnology in Alberta. In 2005, he was named as one of the Physicians of the Century in Alberta and received the Alberta Centennial Medal. Dr. Cochrane was inducted into The Alberta Order of Excellence in 2006.
Awards in 2007 include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Toronto Biotechnology Initiative and the naming of the “Dr. William Cochrane Physician’s Lounge” located in the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
He is Director of several Canadian and American companies including: Immune Vaccine Technologies Inc. Halifax; Pheromone Sciences Inc., Toronto (Chair); Medicure Inc., Winnipeg; University Technologies International Inc., (Chair), Calgary; Oncolytics Biotech Inc., Calgary; Resverlogix Inc. (Chair), Calgary; QSV Biologics Inc., Edmonton; and Genome Alberta, Calgary. He has also served on the Boards of Monsanto Canada, Connaught Laboratories Ltd., Vasogen Inc. (Chair), Fluor/Daniel Canada (Chair), MDS Capital Corp. and the Banff Centre (Chair).
Dr. Cochrane has served on several Government Boards including the Alberta Science and Research Authority (Government of Alberta), Past Chair of the National Biotechnology Advisory Committee, as well as a member of the national Advisory Board on Science and Technology (Government of Canada) and Co-Chair, Calgary Economic Development Committee, Calgary. He is President of W. A. Cochrane and Associates Inc., a health products investment consulting company. He is a member of the Calgary Rotary Club and the Glencoe Club, Calgary. He has also been a contributing author to chapters in two medical textbooks and published some 75 public and scientific articles.
2007
Dr. Ronald Micetich
Dr. R. G. Micetich’s research career began in 1963 as a Research Scientist with R & L Molecular Research Ltd. (established by Dr. R. U. Lemieux). This company later became Raylo Chemicals Ltd. Dr. Micetich served as the Research Director (Pharmaceutical Research) of Raylo. During the period from 1963 to 1980 Dr. Micetich’s group was involved in pharmaceutical research and process development work in antibiotics and in NSAI’s (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents). This work produced a drug “Mofezolac” – a NSAI which is now marketed in Japan by the Japanese company “Yoshitomi”. Market ~ U.S. $60 million.
In 1980, Dr. R. G. Micetich joined the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Alberta as an Adjunct Professor working on projects for international big Pharma companies. The work with Taiho Pharmaceutical Company in Japan has produced another drug – a beta-lactamase inhibitor – “TAZOBACTAM” which is now marketed worldwide. This drug now produces annual sales of over US$ 1 billion.
In 1987, Dr. Micetich established a joint venture research company with Taiho, Japan called SynPhar. SynPhar had numerous patents worldwide in various therapeutic areas and many compounds and classes of compounds at various stages of development up to late preclinical.
In view of the significant growth opportunities for SynPhar and in response to the changing international market place for pharmaceuticals, Dr. Micetich acquired and transferred all the assets including intellectual property, equipment and fixtures from SynPhar to NAEJA Pharmaceutical Inc. in 1999. NAEJA is a private Albertan company, founded by the Micetich family which from an initial staff in August 1999 of 40, has grown to 130 and is still growing. NAEJA is a completely self-supporting private company with no venture capital, nor private, nor government funding. The majority of NAEJA employees hold Ph.D.’s. NAEJA has collaborative agreements with pharmaceutical companies around the world. Based on its own intellectual property, NAEJA also has a number of co-development agreements with biotech companies worldwide. Dr. Micetich laid the seeds of foundation for NAEJA and the company continues after his passing, building his legacy.
Dr. R. G. Micetich boasted over 100 publications in well know scientific journals and composed over 100 patents taken out in many countries.
2006
Dr. Robert Church
Dr. Church is Professor Emeritus of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary. He was founding Professor and Head of the Department of Medical Biochemistry in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary and Associate Dean Medical Research. His research in developmental genetics, genome organization, gene expression and embryo manipulation has resulted in over 250 publications and invitations for presentations to medical sciences, biotechnology and animal production meetings. Bob has been a consultant to medical technologies, biotechnology, embryo manipulation and livestock management businesses worldwide. Dr. Church is a Member of the Order of Canada, was inducted into the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame in 1991, the Alberta Order of Excellence in 1993. He was, named Chief Black Eagle of Treaty #7 Tribes in 1990, presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Medal in 2002, and the Growing Alberta Distinguished Leadership award in 2003. Dr. Church is a Past President of the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede and has served on the Board of Directors of many companies, including Connaught Laboratories Ltd., Biostar Inc, Veterinary Infectious Diseases Organization, Alta Genetics Inc, CIBA-Geigy Ltd., Neurospheres Ltd., and Vencap Equities Ltd. He was a founding member of the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. He has been a member of the Board for the Medical Research Council of Canada, the Alberta Research Council, and currently is Chair Emeritus of the Alberta Science and Research Authority. Bob is President of Church Livestock Consultants Ltd. He and his wife, Gina, own and operate Lochend Luing Ranch in the foothills west of Airdrie where he does his own cowboying! As an educator, medical scientist, cattleman and entrepreneur, Bob has been called a “Renaissance Man” for recognizing opportunities for the application of new technologies and ideas to the sustainable production and development of new products and services in response to changing times and societal demands on a global basis.
Dr. Raymond Lemieux
Dr. Raymond Lemieux was a truly outstanding individual, likely the most influential and most well respected carbohydrate chemist in the world over the last fifty years. Many of his pioneering efforts in carbohydrate chemistry research were years ahead of their time. Undoubtedly, his discoveries have provided invaluable groundwork for of medical breakthroughs in the 21st Century. His work brought the field of carbohydrate chemistry into the mainstream of organic chemistry and helped establish the rapidly growing field of glycobiology, the chemistry and biology of medically important cell surface carbohydrates. In simple terms, he revealed how carbohydrates bind to proteins, a phenomenon crucial to everything from immunology to cancer. Dr. Lemieux received a Bachelor of Science degree in honours chemistry from the University of Alberta, followed by a Ph. D. from McGill University in 1946, after which he did post-doctoral studies at Saskatchewan. Two years later, he joined the Prairie Regional Laboratory of the National Research Council, where he became the first scientist to successfully synthesize sucrose in the laboratory. In 1954, he became professor and chairman of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Ottawa. In 1961, he returned to the University of Alberta, a result of Harry Gunning’s efforts to build an outstanding Chemistry Department. While at the University of Alberta, Dr Lemieux made an exceptional contribution to the reputation of university research in Canada and to the University of Alberta and its Department of Chemistry. Recognized as the father of carbohydrate chemistry, Dr. Lemieux’s international recognition has brought significant honor to the University of Alberta. In addition to over 200 scientific publications in carbohydrate chemistry, he held 28 patents and had lectureships, awards and prizes named after him. He was the first-ever recipient of the Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, awarded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. He has also been recognized with five major international awards, including the King Faisal International Prize in 1990, the Albert Einstein World Award of Science in 1992 and the Wolf Prize in 1999. In 1994 he became a Companion or the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honor. He has received honorary degrees from fifteen universities around the world. Dr. Lemieux's scientific achievements were matched only by his leadership and commitment to the development in Alberta of a viable research-intensive industry one that would fulfill national goals and provide much needed employment for Canadians. He founded three companies - R&L Molecular Research (1963), Raylo Chemicals (1966) and Chembiomed Ltd. (1977). In 1998, Dr. Lemieux bestowed a $100,000 gift to the Faculty of Science, his endorsement of the Strathcona County-R.U. Lemieux Chair in Carbohydrate Chemistry. In July 2000, Dr Lemieux passed away, leaving behind a legacy of accomplishments and accolades that should appropriately be recognized in an honorary naming on this campus.
Honourable E. Peter Lougheed
Lougheed is the grandson of Sir James Alexander Lougheed. In 1950, he received a BA degree, and in 1952, he received a LL.B degree, both from the University of Alberta. While in Edmonton as a student, he played football for the Edmonton Eskimos and served as President of the Students' Union and of the Alberta Chapter of Delta Upsilon. In 1954, he received a MBA degree from Harvard University. In 1965, he was elected leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party. The party won the 1971 provincial election, with 49 of the 75 seats in the legislature, defeating the Social Credit Party which had governed the province since the 1935 election. Lougheed established a Tory dynasty in the province that has continued uninterrupted since then. Lougheed led his party to victory in the 1975, 1979 and 1982 provincial elections. As Premier, Lougheed furthered the development of the oil and gas resources, and started the Alberta Heritage Fund as a way of ensuring that the exploitation of non-renewable resources would be of long-term benefit to Alberta. He also introduced the Alberta Bill of Rights. Lougheed quarrelled with Pierre Trudeau's federal Liberal government over its introduction of the National Energy Program. From 1996–2002, Lougheed served as Chancellor of Queen's University. Lougheed currently sits on the boards of a variety of organizations and corporations, including the Royal Bank of Canada and the Carlyle Group. The Carlyle Group has recently been embroiled in controversy in the United Kingdom when its share of a privatised arms company rocketed upward in value. Honours Lougheed was styled "The Honourable" for the duration of his membership in the Executive Council of Alberta from 1971 to 1986. When he was appointed a privy councillor (postnominal: "PC") on April 17, 1982, the style "The Honourable" was extended for life. In 1986, he was named a Companion of the Order of Canada (postnominal: "CC"), and in 1989 he was named to the Alberta Order of Excellence (postnominal: "AOE"). In 2001 he was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. The Honourable E. Peter Lougheed, 1971-85 During his tenure as Premier of Alberta, The Honourable E. Peter Lougheed became one of Canada's most prominent political figures. His government's strong stand on energy and constitutional issues attracted national attention.
Dr. Antoine (Tony) Noujaim
Tony Noujaim was born in Cairo, Egypt, and educated through a First Class Honours degree in Pharmacy at Cairo University. He completed his formal education, (MSc Bionucleonics, 1963; PhD Bionucleonics, 1965) as a Fulbright Scholar at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, USA, and shortly after, came to the University of Alberta as an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Tony elected early retirement from the University in 1996 to pursue, on a full-time basis, his dream of entrepreneurial R & D in the pursuit of improved diagnosis and treatment of cancer, a dream fuelled by the loss of several family members to this relentless disease. The University of Alberta recognized Tony’s academic contributions by bestowing the Honorary Doctor of Science degree in 2001. Regional, National and International recognition of his work is detailed in his public curriculum vitae
Dr. Lorne Tyrell
Dr. Tyrrell was raised on a farm west of Edmonton. He obtained his BSc (’64) and his MD (’68) from the University of Alberta and a PhD (’72) from Queen’s University. He completed a speciality training in Internal Medicine in 1975 and subspecialty training in Infectious Diseases in 1976. This was followed by a MRC Centennial Fellowship at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. In 1978 he returned to the University of Alberta. In 1986, he began working with Dr. Morris Robins on a system to identify potent antivirals against hepatitis B virus (HBV) which infects about 400 million people worldwide. Through their work they discovered several potent antivirals against HBV and this resulted in a major collaboration with Glaxo Canada (now GlaxoSmithKline). The collaboration led to the discovery that lamivudine had potent antiviral activity for HBV and today lamivudine is licensed worldwide as the first oral antiviral for the treatment of HBV infections. Lamivudine has been shown to decrease the development of cirrhosis or liver cancer in chronic HBV carriers. This work also reopened the option for resuming liver transplantation in patients with end-stage liver disease from HBV. More recently Dr. Tyrrell collaborated with Drs. D. Mercer and N. Kneteman to develop the first small animal model to support HCV replication. Dr. Tyrrell recently completed 10 years as the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta in 2004. He currently holds the CIHR/GSK Chair in Virology at the University of Alberta. Dr. Tyrrell is the Chair of the Board of the Alberta Health Quality Council; Chair of the Board of the Institute of Health Economics; is a member of the Medical Advisory Committee of the Gairdner Foundation and is a member of the Research Council of the Canadian Institute of Academic Research. Dr. Tyrrell has won numerous awards at the University of Alberta (Rutherford Undergraduate Teaching Award, J. Gordin Kaplan Research Awards, and the University Cup). He won the ASTech Award for Research in 1993 and the Gold Medal of the Canadian Liver Foundation in 2000. Dr. Tyrrell was appointed to the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2000, an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2002, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2004. He was recently awarded the F.N.G. Starr Award from the Canadian Medical Association in 2004, and the Principal Award of the Manning Foundation in 2005 for his work on the development of oral antivirals for the treatment of HBV. On November 1, 2005 Dr. Tyrrell became the CEO of ViRexx, a biotechnology company in Edmonton and activated a 0.5 administrative leave from the University of Alberta.
