Canadian Gene Cure Foundation
Foundation Canadienne Géne Cure 

Dr. Hayden is a Killam Professor of Medical Genetics, Canada Research Chair in Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine, and Director of the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia. He earned his medical degree and PhD in genetics from the University of Cape Town in South Africa and completed his post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hayden focuses his research primarily on genetic diseases, including genetics of lipoprotein disorders, Huntington disease, predictive and personalized medicine. His group has identified 10 disease-causing genes. which includes the identification of the major gene underlying high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in humans. He is also co-leader of the Canadian Pharmacogenomics Network for Drug Safety project, a BC-led Genome Canada-funded, national strategy to prevent adverse drug reactions. He is author of over 600 peer-reviewed publications and invited submissions.

Over the course of his career, he has received numerous prestigious honours. His most recent awards include the Jacob Biely Prize which is UBC's premier research prize in 2010, the Order of British Columbia and an Honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Alberta in 2009. He was named Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year by CIHR and was also one of the five finalists of the Globe and Mail’s  Nation Builder competition in 2008. In 2007 he received the Prix Galien, which recognizes the outstanding contribution of a researcher to Canadian pharmaceutical research.

Sandra MacPherson was part of the founding management team at Aspreva Pharmaceuticals, with responsibility for communications and business development research. Prior to the launch of Aspreva, Sandra gained 12 years experience as a scientific and medical journalist in both Toronto, Ontario and London, UK holding staff positions on General Practitioner and Laboratory News. When her two children were small she worked as a successful freelance health and science journalist for a variety of consumer magazines and newspapers including The National Post, Nature, FHM and Mother and Baby. As an active member of her community, Sandra contributes her time and expertise to a variety of organizations. She has an honours degree in Genetics from St. Andrews University in Scotland.

Dr. Gros is a Professor of biochemistry at McGill University and a world expert in mouse genetics. His seminal discoveries have advanced knowledge in three key biomedical areas: the molecular biology of multi-drug resistance; the genetic analysis of neurodevelopmental defects (e.g., spina bifida and anencephaly); and the host genetics of infectious diseases (e.g., tuberculosis, malaria, and salmonella). Not only has he pioneered the strategic approach to identifying genetic mutations in the fields of infection, cancer, and neurogenesis, he has also provided essential knowledge about disease pathways, as well as models for much of the way modern molecular genetics is approached. His work on multi-drug resistance genes has expanded the understanding of drug resistance in cancer and infectious diseases, pointing the way to more effective drug treatments of common human diseases. A prolific researcher, Dr. Gros has over three hundred heavily cited papers to his credit.