The Vancouver professor of biochemistry was named among the winners of the prestigious Canada Gairdner Awards for his contribution to the development of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19.
Cullis said the distinction serves as a reminder that scientific research begins with a question, and even “basic” research can lead to discoveries that change the world.
“We find it somewhat unbelievable,” Cullis said in an interview ahead of the announcement of the Gairdner Awards on Tuesday.  “You work far, you do what you do, and then who could have predicted that we would have that kind of impact.”
Cullis and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman, were recognized with the Gairdner International Award for the development of the core technology behind COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, such as those made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna .
Karikó and Weissman are believed to have discovered how to make messenger RNA to teach our cells to produce a protein that trains the body’s immune system to recognize and fight the COVID-19 virus.
The question was how to bring mRNA into our cells without degradation.  It was a problem that Cullis, co-founder of Vancouver-based biotechnology company Acuitas Therapeutics, had been examining since the early days of his research into the chemical composition of cell membranes.
His lab laid the groundwork for the vaccine drug delivery system, which uses tiny fat bubbles – known as lipid nanoparticles – to protect and transport mRNA to our cells.
“It was very remarkable to suddenly get out of a situation where we are dealing with a relatively unknown therapeutic approach, to have something that now goes to billions of weapons worldwide,” Cullis said.
Cullis said the COVID-19 vaccines represent the “iceberg tip” of potential technology applications.  He sees lipid nanoparticles as a promising new tool that could lead to a wave of “personalized therapies” that not only address the symptoms of a disease, but target the underlying causes.
In their report, Gairdner’s jury said the findings, which contain COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, “have the potential to revolutionize the future delivery of effective and safe vaccines, therapies and gene therapies.”
Cullis said Gairdner’s recognition underscores the importance of supporting science innovation in Canada, noting that many of our smartest minds move to the United States in search of career opportunities.
“This is something we just have to deal with, that we find ways to create industries to keep our people in Canada,” he said.  “They do not go south because they want to leave Canada. They go south because that’s the business.”
Canadians have won four of this year’s seven Gairdner Awards, which recognize some of the world’s most important scientific discoveries affecting human health.
The other Gairdner International Prize winners were John Dick, a senior scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto, for the discovery of leukemic stem cells in a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia, and Stuart Orkin of the University of New York for the leading to new therapies for disorders such as sickle cell disease.
Zulfiqar Bhutta, Senior Scientist at Toronto Hospital for Sick Children, received the Gairdner Global Health Award for developing evidence-based strategies to support child and maternal health in marginalized populations.
The Canada Gairdner Wightman Award, given to a Canadian researcher who has excelled in medical science, was given to Deborah Cook of McMaster University for her interdisciplinary research in intensive care medicine.
The Gairdner Prizes, which include $ 100,000 for each recipient, are called “baby Nobels” because 96 Gairdner winners have received Nobel Prizes, according to organizers.
This Canadian Press report was first published on April 5, 2022.