David M. Perrin holds the rank of Full Professor and has authored over 100 publications. Professor Perrin’s work amalgamates synthetic organic chemistry, molecular biology, physical organic chemistry and radiochemistry to address long-standing challenges at the interface of chemistry and biology where research outputs have had major impacts at a fundamental level as well as in several therapeutic applications, a theme that now unites his work.
Professor Perrin has received numerous competitively reviewed grants (CIHR operating grants, an NSERC accelerator grant, Junior- and Senior-scholar awards of the MSFHR, three Innovation Grants from the CCRSI, a New Directions grant from the Petroleum Research Fund, and a MSFHR Innovation-to-Commercialization grant), is an inventor on 5 patents (granted or pending), was awarded the Teva and Belleau Awards of the Can. Chem. Soc., is a co-founder of Alpha9Theranostics Inc., and is proud to have mentored postdoctoral fellows, graduates and undergraduates, many of whom now hold positions in academia and industry.
Professor Perrin has established himself as a leading researcher in bio-organic chemistry. Specifically, Dr. Perrin has generated creative solutions and gained new insights to the following long-standing problems in chemical biology: 1: synthesis of RNaseA mimics for destroying pathogenic mRNAs and selection of modified DNA aptamers for target recognition and sensing, 2: a chemical platform for one-step 18F-radiolabeling based on novel applications of boron-based chemistry for PET imaging cancer, 3: the synthesis of peptide natural products, notably alpha-amanitin; 4: Synthesis of novel heterocycles for the rationally designed recognition of DNA. Each project has generated a sustained publication record in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals and reflects a high degree of chemical/biological novelty, scientific rigor and long-term direction towards translational potential.
Awards and Activities:
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Junior Scholar (2002-2007)
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Senior Scholar (2008-2013)
Teva Award for Biological Chemistry (2015)
Bernard Belleau Award for Biological and Medicinal Chemistry (2019)
Co-founder: Alpha9 Theranostics Inc.
In the news:
Dr. Perrin had the honor of giving the Madeleine Joullie Award lecture at the University of Pennsylvania in Nov 2019 for his work in chemical biology as applied to the synthesis of amanitin (a very humbling experience to have a photo with the very renowned Professor Joullie).
Accepting an award lecture plaque with Professors Pat Walsh and Madeleine Joullie – a great honor.
In recognition of the Perrin lab’s landmark amanitin synthesis, the dean of science featured this work, which was also featured in the Vancouver Sun:
https://medium.com/ubcscience/amanita-3a3d21218322
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/fatal-death-cap-mushroom-may-ultimately-be-a-life-saver
Chemical and Engineering News ranked amanitin, “One of 8 Molecules of the Year”
C&E News chose amanitin as one of 8 “Molecules of the Year in 2018”
Dr. Perrin won the prestigious Bernard Belleau award of the CSC in 2019
Dr. Perrin wins the Belleau Award (Canadian Society for Chemistry).
Dr. Perrin gave a lecture at the CSC-2019 on new RNA cleaving DNAzymes.
Explaining the mechanism for catalytic RNA cleavage at the CSC in Quebec.
Dr. Perrin was invited to give a talk at the International Round Table on Nucleic Acids 2018
Trying not to be nervous when explaining the advantages of synthetically modified DNAzymes at the International Nucleic Acids Roundtable Conference.
Dr. Perrin’s work on mRNA-cleaving DNAzymes was covered in Vancouver’s “Science in the City”
Dr. Perrin’s work on antiviral DNAzymes was covered in Vancouver’s “Science in the City”
Dr. Perrin won the Teva Award of the CSC in 2015 for his work at the interface of chemistry and biology.
Receiving the Teva Award.
Drs. Perrin and Benard share a moment with their students in winning the one of 3 breakthrough publications of the Society of Nuclear Medicine 2015
Celebrating our paper in J. Nucl. Med. that was awarded “one of three top scientific breakthroughs of 2015” by the Society of Nuclear Medicine. Photo: left-to-right: Perrin, Liu, Pourghassian, Benard.