Dr. Michael Hayden Joins AbCellera’s Board of Directors

“We are immensely pleased to have Dr. Hayden joining AbCellera’s Board of Directors,” said Dr. Carl Hansen, CEO of AbCellera. “Michael is one of the most prolific and effective people I have had the pleasure of knowing. Not only is he a world-renowned scientist, an accomplished serial entrepreneur, and an experienced pharma executive, he is also a leader of impeccable character and judgment. I look forward to working with Michael as we bring AbCellera to the next stage of growth.”

Dr. Hayden is the co-founder of five biotechnology companies: Prilenia Therapeutics, NeuroVir Therapeutics, Xenon Pharmaceuticals, Aspreva Pharmaceuticals, and 89Bio. From 2012 to 2017, Dr. Hayden served as Chief Scientific Officer and President of Global Research and Development at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. During his tenure, 35 new products were approved, including many therapies related to the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system. Austedo, a drug for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington’s disease, was the second molecule ever to be approved for the disease.

“AbCellera has established itself as the go-to discovery engine for therapeutic antibodies,” said Dr. Hayden. “The company has secured exciting partnerships in the life science industry that show confidence in its technology and science. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to share my experience with the management team and to contribute to the growth of the company.”

Dr. Hayden earned a Medical Doctorate and a PhD in Genetics from the University of Cape Town as a top graduate. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Internal Medicine and Genetics at Harvard Medical School before entering a highly productive academic career.

Dr. Hayden’s research focuses on personalized medicine and genetic diseases, including lipoprotein disorders and Huntington’s disease. He is a Killam professor at the University of British Columbia, where he founded the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT). He is also a Canada Research Chair in Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine. With 900 publications and invited submissions, an h-index of 139, and over 79,000 citations, Dr. Hayden is the most cited author in the world for Huntington’s disease and ABCA1, a gene with major implications in atherosclerosis and diabetes.

Dr. Hayden has won multiple awards, including the Order of Canada (2010), the Canada Gairdner Wightman Award (2011) from the Gairdner Foundation, and The Diamond Jubilee Medal on behalf of HRH Queen Elizabeth II (2012). He was recognized as one of the 100 Most Inspiring People in pharma by PharmaVOICE in 2015 and was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2017. In a book by Ken McGoogan, Dr. Hayden was recognized as one of the 50 Canadians Who Changed the World.

About AbCellera Biologics Inc.

AbCellera is a privately held company that engages in partnerships to discover and develop next-generation therapeutic antibodies. AbCellera’s single-cell platform integrates end-to-end capabilities for therapeutic antibody discovery through a unique combination of technologies including proprietary immunizations, microfluidics, high-throughput imaging, genomics, deep computation, artificial intelligence, and laboratory automation. Ultra-deep screening of single B cells allows unprecedented access to natural immune responses, enabling rapid isolation of large and diverse panels of high-quality lead antibodies from any species, including humans. For more information, visit www.abcellera.com.

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