Nabil Seidah

Nabil G. Seidah, CM OQ FRSC (born 1949) is a Canadian Québécois scientist. Born in Egypt, he was educated at Cairo University, and subsequently at Georgetown University where he obtained his Ph.D in 1973.^[1][2] He emigrated to Canada and has been working at the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal (IRCM) since 1974.^[1] He is the director of the laboratory of Biochemical Neuroendocrinology.^[1] Dr. Seidah discovered and cloned seven (PC1, PC2, PC4, PC5, PC7, SKI-1 and PCSK9) of the nine known enzymes belonging to the convertase family. During this period, he also greatly contributed to demonstrating that the proteolysis by the proprotein convertases is a wide mechanism that also concerns “non-neuropeptide” proteins such as growth factors, α-integrins, receptors, enzymes, membrane-bound transcription factors, and bacterial and viral proteins. Recently, he showed that point mutations in the PCSK9 gene cause dominant familial hypercholesterolemia, likely because of a gain of function related to the ability of PCSK9 to enhance the degradation of cell surface receptors, such as the low-density lipoprotein receptor.

Awards

• 1983 - Marcel-Piché Prize
• 1991 - Made Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada^[3]
• 1997 - Made Officer of the Ordre national du Québec^[3]
• 1999 - Made member of the Order of Canada^[4]
• 2001 - Winner of the McLaughlin medal^[1][2]
• 2001 - Winner of the Léo-Pariseau Prize^[1]
• 2003-2017 - Canada Chair Tier 1 in Precursor Proteolysis
• 2009 - Pfizer Distinguished Cardiovascular-Metabolic Research Jean-Davignon Award
• 2011 - Wilder-Penfield Prize in Biomedical Research in Québec
• 2013 - Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal

References