Michael Hayden, MB, ChB, PhD, FRCP (C), FRSC, C.M., O.B.C.
Dr. Hayden is a Killam Professor at the University of British Columbia, the highest honour UBC can confer on any faculty member. He is the founder, senior scientist and former director of the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; a genetic research centre within UBC’s Faculty of Medicine and affiliated with the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Dr. Hayden was named one of the 50 Canadians born in the 20th century who have changed the world. He is the co-founder of five biotechnology companies including: Prilenia, NeuroVir Therapeutics Inc., Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Aspreva Pharmaceuticals Corp and 89bio. He currently sits on different public and private boards of biotechnologies companies including Ionis and AbCellera.
Authoring over 960 publications, his research focuses on translational medicine, including HD, predictive medicine, and drug development. He identified the first mutations underlying LPL Deficiency and developed gene therapy approaches resulting in the first approved gene therapy (Glybera) in the world.
Dr. Hayden is the recipient of numerous prestigious honours and awards. He was recently awarded the 2025 Dr. Don Rix Lifetime Achievement Award, an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Cape Town (2024), and the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Huntington Study Group. He was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (2017) and holds honorary doctorates from the Universities of Alberta (2009) and Göttingen (2014). He also received the Order of Canada (2011) and the Order of British Columbia (2010). He has mentored more than 130 trainees, and is also a TED mentor.
Keywords: Neurodegeneration, Huntington’s disease, genetics, gene therapy
Email: mrh@cmmt.ubc.ca