Université de Montréal research pioneer gets prestigious Canadian award
Université de Montréal professor Nabil G. Seidah has been awarded one of Canada’s most prestigious medical research prizes: Western University’s J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine.
A researcher at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Seidah is recognized worldwide as the scientist responsible for discovering and cloning seven of the nine known secretory serine proteases belonging to the proprotein convertases.
Proprotein convertases play essential roles in the neural and endocrine system, as well as regulate the functions of various peripheral organs including the liver, pancreas, pituitary and heart, as well as the cardiovascular and immune systems, and have been proposed as therapeutic targets for viral infections, inflammation, hypercholesterolemia and cancer. Professor Seidah’s research has been key in developing revolutionary cholesterol-lowering drugs and promises even greater future development of innovative therapies.
‘’The value of Dr. Seidah’s work and its impact on collective health have been undeniable over the decades, and this new recognition by his peers is a just reward that makes us very proud,” said IRCM president and scientific director Jean-François Côté.
In announcing its decision to award the $40,000 prize, the Western University jury noted that Seidah’s “work is a sterling example of the ability of science at the highest level to impact the scientific community and citizen health and well-being.’’
With more than 820 peer-reviewed studies to his name, Seidah is cited as the most recognized protease expert in Canada and sixth worldwide. As the fields of genetics and biopharmaceuticals continue to develop, his discoveries are expected to lead to improved therapies and personalized preventative treatments for age-related diseases.
Across a nearly 50-year career, the Egyptian-born scientist has received numerous awards and recognitions. He has been a member of the Order of Quebec since 1997 and of the Order of Canada since 1999, and since 2003 has held an endowed Tier-1 Canada Research Chair on Precursor Proteolysis. In 2018 he won both the Institut de France’s Lefoulon-DeLalande award and the National Lipid Association’s Akira Endo award for his innovative research in cardiometabolic diseases. In 2021, he also won the Kuwait Prize of the Kuwait Society for the Advancement of Science.