Dr. Michael Hayden

A pioneer in developing predictive testing for Huntington disease, Dr. Michael Hayden has contributed significantly to understanding how changes in specific genes result in premature coronary artery disease, diabetes, and Huntington disease. In honour of his career achievements, last year Dr. Hayden received the Prix Galien (Research), an award that’s considered the Nobel Prize of the pharmaceutical industry in Canada.

"Michael is one of the premier clinician scientists in Canada", says Dr. Stuart MacLeod, Executive Director of the Child & Family Research Institute at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia. "His work in genetics and genomics has opened a myriad of possibilities for better treatment of patients with genetic diseases and other conditions such as adverse drug reactions."

"Michael has made milestone advances in his areas of investigation and demonstrated the power of international research collaborations and industry partnerships", adds John Hepburn, Vice-President of Research at the University of British Columbia.

Recently, Dr. Hayden provided the first evidence of preventing Huntington disease in a mouse model. In earlier work, he discovered the ABCA1 gene, which plays a key role in determining the levels of high density cholesterol, and he also showed that the ABCA1 gene is involved in both insulin secretion and the development of type 2 diabetes. Dr. Hayden has identified genes related to eight other disorders including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 2, hyperlipidemia, and pain. Dr. Hayden is the most highly cited author globally for Huntington disease and ABCA1.

"It’s been very exciting to start with the patient, to ask the question, do the basic work to find the answers, and then find ways to translate these findings into products and services useful to patients", says Dr. Hayden.

Dr. Hayden and his colleague Dr. Bruce Carleton are currently leading a national strategy to improve drug safety for children. The scientists are searching for genetic markers that predict which children are vulnerable to serious adverse drug reactions, with the aim of establishing recommendations for drug prescribing based on a patient’s genetic profile.

Dr. Hayden is a Killam Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia and Canada Research Chair in Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine. He is Director of the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT) and Senior Scientist at the Child & Family Research Institute at BC Children’s Hospital. He’s authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications in high impact journals such as Cell, the Nature journals, Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet. Additionally, he’s co-founded three biotechnology companies.

About the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics - www.cmmt.ubc.ca.

About the Child & Family Research Institute - www.cfri.ca.

About the University of British Columbia - www.ubc.ca.

For further information, please contact Jennifer Kohm, Director Communications Child & Family Research Institute using the Email contact form or by phone at 604 875-2401