Between 1994 and 2001, David Granville was tucked away in a lab at QLT Inc. conducting pre-clinical research.
Such research is less glamorous than later-stage clinical research but is nonetheless an essential part of the drug-development cycle.
Granville acquired worldwide recognition in certain medical circles for his work with the Vancouver company, which was making its first market inroads with Visudyne, a drug that has treated blindness in more than two million people and generated billions of dollars in revenue for QLT.
“Seeing how that drug went all the way through from preclinical trials through to clinical trials and then getting approved was quite an inspiration,” said Granville.
Granville’s work since returning to Vancouver in 2003 from a two-year stint at the renowned Scripps Research Institute in San Diego has been nothing short of prolific: 28 manuscripts, several new patents, book chapters and further lab discoveries.
In addition to his commercial research, Granville continues his work as an associate professor at UBC.
“I can somewhat guide development on the industry side but also keep my discovery-based research going, which is the part that really drives me,” he said.
Much of his research has been focused on a protein-degrading enzyme that’s been known to play a role in cardiovascular disease.
Recently, Granville discovered that the same enzyme prevented hair loss and tissue degeneration in mice.
Granville formed viDA Therapeutics with biotech veterans such as Julia Levy to investigate whether the research could be applicable to humans.
“We have something here that may potentially be a gold mine for treating a lot of age-related tissue-degenerating diseases,” he said.
Put differently, viDA could have on its hands nothing less than a modern-day fountain of youth. •
