About
David Perrin is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of British Columbia, Faculty of Science. He has been at UBC since 2000, establishing a research program at the interface of chemistry and biology with medically relevant goals. His laboratory is located in room A343 with office hours on Wednesday afternoons.
- PhD from UCLA
- Postdoctoral work at CNRS laboratory in Paris
- Joined UBC faculty in 2000
Professor Perrin's research focuses on using synthetic chemistry to address questions of molecular recognition and catalysis within biological settings. His work spans several interconnected areas including catalysis and molecular recognition applied to biology, radiopharmaceutical development for PET imaging, chemically modified DNAzymes and aptamers, and peptide natural products. His laboratory pioneered the development of boron-assisted one-step radiofluorination methodology for labeling peptides, which has significant clinical applications in cancer imaging.
The publications analyzed show a strong focus on PET imaging agents, particularly using 18F labeling techniques. His research group has developed innovative approaches to radiolabeling peptides and other biomolecules, with applications in cancer diagnostics for prostate cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, and myocardial perfusion imaging. The work demonstrates expertise in organoboron chemistry, nucleic acid modification, and natural product synthesis, particularly with amatoxins.
- Michael Smith Senior Scholar Award 2010
- 2015 TEVA Award for Biological Chemistry (CSC)
- 2018 Bernard Belleau Award (CSC)
Professor Perrin's laboratory maintains a culture of innovation and risk-taking, with several 'skunkworks' projects aimed at turning 'science fiction into science fact.' His group has co-founded Alpha9Theranostics Inc. and has received competitively awarded funding from NSERC, CIHR, CCSRI, and Genome-BC. The lab has produced over 130 peer-reviewed publications in 24 years with an h-index of 41 and over 3700 citations, along with 6 issued patents, 1 patent entering national phase, and 3 provisional patents filed.
The Perrin Research Lab is organized around several major research thrusts including synthesis of novel building blocks with multiple heteroatoms, nucleic acid engineering with synthetically modified nucleosides, peptide natural products and therapeutics (particularly amatoxins for antibody-drug conjugates), and PET imaging development. The lab also maintains 'stealth projects' for innovative approaches to challenging problems.
