By Daniela Fisher
VIRAL RESEARCH
Li Ka Shing Institute
R
OF VIROLOGY
esearchers at the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, located at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, AB, tackle some of the world’s most threatening viruses on a daily basis. Their work into viral diseases such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C has earned the Institute international acclaim, and has established Alberta as a powerhouse for virology research. The Li Ka Shing Institute emerged three years ago from a confluence of major funding. This included donations of $25 million from the Li Ka Shing (Canada) Foundation and $52.5 million from the Government of Alberta, as well as federal and provincial funding in the form of a Knowledge Infrastructure Program grant, two large infrastructure awards, and an investment from GlaxoSmithKline Inc. The infrastructure awards, grants from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, allowed for top-notch equipment to be installed in the facility. With this infrastructure in place, Alberta’s virologists and immunologists had a physical space to bring their community together for discovery-based research. The Institute was also able to incorporate researchers from the Alberta Institute for Viral Immunology, the Centre of Excellence for Viral Hepatitis Research and several departments in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. “There had been a good core of virologists here,” says Dr. Lorne Tyrrell, Director of the Li Ka Shing Institute. “But before Mr. Li’s gift, they often worked as individuals. Now, I see more and more teamwork, and people thinking about the possibility of translating and commercialization.” With over 40 years of experience in virology, Dr. Tyrrell is someone who understands the importance of being able to bring a product to commercialization. His work in the 1980s led to the development and use of lamivudine (3TC) as a treatment for hepatitis B infections. With two other colleagues (Dr. N. Kneteman and Dr. D. Mercer), he developed the KMT mouse, a transgenic mouse model with a humanized liver that can be infected with hepatitis B, hepatitis C or malaria for drug testing and development. As one of Canada’s most significant contributors to virology research, he is an authority on the global impact viruses have, especially when they become epidemics. One such example is 6 BIOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS July/August 2013
influenza: “We’ve seen the epidemics of influenza as they become worldwide pandemics. There are strains of influenza that continue to worry us if they become easily transmissible, as they have much higher mortality rates and that could have huge impact on the world.” At the Li Ka Shing Institute, researchers take a broader approach to working on viruses. Not only do they look at how a virus works, they also look at the immune system’s response to the virus and how the virus might be controlled. “We have to have research programs on viruses and be prepared always to find ways to a) discover new viruses that are causing disease and b) find new ways to control viruses that can spread rapidly around the world,” explains Dr. Tyrrell. Prime examples are HIV-AIDS discovered in the early ‘80s and hepatitis C virus in the late ‘80s. Their goal is to produce treatments that can be commercialized and brought forward to benefit the public, a meaningful if sometimes slow endeavor. The Institute is also focused on designing drugs for viruses in areas of unmet medical needs. “We filed eight patents last year in different areas and we’re working on how we bring those forward for commercialization,” says Dr. Tyrrell.
Dr. Tyrrell in the lab with students. Photo: Karin Fodor Professional Photography. L to R: Dr. Lorne Tyrrell and Dr. Michael Houghton at the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology. Photo: Karin Fodor Professional Photography.
