2024 INDUCTEE Pieter R. Cullis, PhD Infectious Disease, Allergy & Immunity
May 12, 1946
(Barnard Castle, UK)
PhD, The University of British Columbia (1972)
Post Doc, University of Oxford (1976)
Post Doc, University of Utrecht (1977)
2023: Sultan Karim Medal of Excellence in Clinical Pharmacology
2022: Camurus Lipid Award, Sweden
See All AwardsAwards & Honours:
2023: Sultan Karim Medal of Excellence in Clinical Pharmacology
2022: Camurus Lipid Award, Sweden
2022: Gairdner International Award, Canada
2022: VinFuture Award, Vietnam
2022: Tang Award, Tang Foundation, Taiwan
2022: Thudicum Award, Phospholipid Research Centre, Germany
2022: Governor General Innovation Award, Rideau Hall Foundation, Canada
2022: Global Impact Award, Life Sciences BC
2022: Bloom Burton Award, Bloom Burton & Co.
2021: Officer, Order of Canada
2021: Prince Mahidol Award, Thailand
2021: Founder’s Award, Controlled Release Society, USA
2018: Fellow National Academy of Inventors, USA
2016: Lifetime Achievement Award, Journal of Drug Targeting
2015: Milton Wong Leadership Award, Life Science BC
2012: Senior Faculty Award - Outstanding Contributions, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine
2011: Webber Lifetime Achievement Award, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine
2011: Prix Galien Canada Research Award, Prix Galien Canada
2010: CSPS Leadership Award, Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences
2005: UBC Alumni Award, Science & Medicine, University of British Columbia
2005: Barre Award, University of Montreal
2004: Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Royal Society of Canada
2002: Award for Innovation and Achievement, BC Biotechnology Alliance
2000: Alec Bangham Award, International Liposome Society
1991: Gold Medal for Health Sciences, BC Science Council
1988: UBC Killam Research Prize, University of British Columbia
1988: Jacob Bierly Research Prize, University of British Columbia
1987: Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Lecturer, University of British Columbia
1986: Ayerst Award, Canadian Biochemical Society
1983: MRC Scientist, Medical Research Council
1978: MRC Scholar, Medical Research Council
1977: EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship, European Molecular Biology Organization
1973: MRC Postdoctoral Fellowship, Medical Research Council
Developed groundbreaking drug delivery systems to fight illness
A leader in creating drug delivery systems to treat disease
As the world continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 32 million Canadians have been protected by at least one dose of an approved vaccine—thanks in part to Pieter R. Cullis, PhD. Over a 40-year career in physics, biochemistry and molecular biology, Dr. Cullis has taken lipid nanoparticle (LNP) drug delivery systems from a compelling concept to cutting-edge medicines that are impacting billions of lives. Today, LNPs form a key part in the 95% effective BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19. Discoveries by Dr. Cullis and his teams have led to five approved LNP nanomedicines in total, opening the door for new anticancer medicines and gene therapies as well as vaccines. In this way, Dr. Cullis’ success stems not just from his ground-breaking research, but also from his passion for transforming that research into practical uses. In addition to helping develop two Canadian national centre of excellence networks, he co-founded 12 biotech companies and two not-for-profit enterprises, including adMare BioInnovations, to translate academic discoveries into new treatments. As a researcher, company founder, author and mentor, Dr. Cullis continues to shape the next generation of disease-fighting therapeutics.
Key Facts
Recognized as a leader in the development and application of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) drug delivery systems to treat human disease
Translated academic findings into new diagnostic and treatment measures with the creation of more than 12 biotechnology companies and two not-for-profit enterprises, and creating more than 500 jobs in BC's biotechnology sector
Work in his UBC laboratory and companies he co-founded led to Comirnaty, the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine administered to more than 3B people and a major contributor in containing the Covid-19 pandemic
Holds over 60 patents and has published more than 350 highly cited papers
His research collaborations resulted in three approved nanomedicine drugs to treat cancer and its complications: Abelcet for fungal infections the immunocompromised (1995), Myocet to treat metastatic breast cancer (2000) and Marqibo to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (2012)
Cofounded (2019) and was CEO and Scientific Director (2019-2021) of the NanoMedicines Innovation Network (NMIN), a National Centre of Excellence devoted to expanding Canada’s academic capabilities to develop new therapeutics relying on drug delivery technology.
Professional timeline
Impact on lives today
Dr. Cullis’ breakthrough understanding of how transfection reagents help deliver DNA- and RNA-based macromolecules laid the foundation for technologies to combat cancer, enable gene therapies and develop life-saving vaccines. In particular, his pioneering contributions to drug delivery include innovations that made the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines possible, which have been credited with saving millions of lives. The potential applications to treat everything from cancer to heart disease leveraging this technology are amazing. Dr. Cullis also has one of the strongest records of commercializing research discoveries of any researcher in North America. His interest in bridging the gap between academia and practice has helped to create hundreds of jobs and advance human health.
2024
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mRNA COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use
Infectious Disease, Allergy & ImmunityBased on an LNP delivery system developed by Acuitas, the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 was approved by the US FDA in December and subsequently in many other countries worldwide. These approvals were based on the vaccine’s 95% efficacy in preventing COVID-19, together with its excellent safety profile. More than 5 billion doses were administered globally in 2021–2022.
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Nanomedicine-based drug Onpattro approved by the FDA
Understanding the body and disease process, Cells, Genetics & GenomicsThis gene therapy was approved to treat hereditary amyloid transthyretin (hATTR) amyloidosis. Employing an LNP delivery system developed from Dr. Cullis’ research, Onpattro is able not only to stop further progression of this previously untreatable disease, but also to reverse associated neuropathies and cardiovascular issues.
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Dr. Pieter Cullis co-founded the not-for-profit Personalized Medicine Initiative (PMI)
Building our health organizations and systems, Leadership in Organizational DevelopmentThe PMI, a UBC-based organization aimed at introducing personalized medicine to the front lines of health care in Canada, also spurred the formation of several personalized medicine companies and coincided with Dr. Cullis writing a book on the subject, The Personalized Medicine Revolution.
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Dr. Culllis co-founded Acuitas Therapeutics with Tom Madden and Mick Hope
Leadership in Organizational Development, Infectious Disease, Allergy & ImmunityThis began a cascade of discovery from developing LNP formulations of messenger RNA (mRNA) to express proteins in the liver following an i.v. administration, to a collaboration with Drew Weissman (U Penn) to develop LNP formulations of mRNA as vaccines and eventually a collaboration with BioNTech (Germany) leading to the LNP system that enables the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine called Comirnaty.
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Onpattro developed to treat transthyretin induced amyloidosis (hATTR), a previously fatal hereditary condition that affects some 50,000 people worldwid
Cells, Genetics & GenomicsA collaboration between Inex (later Acuitas), Dr. Cullis' UBC lab and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Boston) to develop (LNP) formulations of small interfering RNA (siRNA) to inhibit production of (silence) pathological proteins in the liver was the precursor.
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Dr. Cullis to co-found the not-for-profit Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD, now adMare BioInnovations)
Leadership in Organizational DevelopmentThe often frustrating process of developing potential therapeutics to reach the commercial world led Dr. Cullis to co-found the not-for-profit Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD, now adMare BioInnovations) to help attract the necessary funding for moving preclinical drug candidates into the clinic.
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Co-founded Inex Pharmaceuticals with four members of his UBC laboratory
CancerInex went on the develop Marqibo that was approved by the FDA to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia
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Established a collaboration with The Liposome Company (Princeton, NJ) to develop nanomedicines to treat cancer
Leadership in Organizational Development, CancerThis resulted in two drugs that received regulatory approval (Abelcet and Myocet)
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Joined UBC’s Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology as an Assistant Professor
Purchased an NMR machine to study lipids in membranes with a grant from the Canadian Medical Research Council (MRC)
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Completed postdoctoral work in biochemistry at the University of Oxford through an MRC fellowship
The photo features Pieter in front of an NMR machine he helped build (1975)
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Graduated from UBC with a PhD in Solid State Physics
1972
Over his 40-year career, Dr. Cullis has taken LNP systems from an academic concept to medicines that are having a tremendous impact on human health around the world.
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