We are proud to acknowledge the awarding of the 2008 Killam Prize to Dr. Michael Sefton, Chief Scientific Officer, Director and Co-founder of Rimon Therapeutics, Inc.  Rimon has greatly benefited from his visionary leadership, and his efforts have been critical to our vision of delivering breakthrough polymer-based therapeutics – improving patient outcomes with our proprietary Theramer™ technology.

An international leader in the area of biomedical engineering, biomaterials and regenerative medicine, University of Toronto Professor Michael Sefton was one of the first to recognize the importance of combining living cells with synthetic substances (polymers) to create artificial organs and tissues – a field now known as tissue engineering.

Dr. Sefton’s lab pioneered the use of biocompatible materials in artificial tissues. His seminal work led to the discovery of therapeutic biomaterials (materials with drug-like qualities) that exploit biological responses (e.g., blood vessel formation) to create innovative medical devices. His current groundbreaking research into the creation of modular tissue components seeks to create cardiac muscle to treat heart failure and pancreatic tissue to treat diabetes, among other possible applications.  

His work directly led to the development of Rimon Therapeutics’ Theramer™ technology. Theramers^TM are novel medical polymers that have biological activity in and of themselves, without the use of drugs. Theramers™ are active, versatile, next generation materials that enable drug-like activity to come to the market over device timelines. Theramers™ are intended to be used as solids – scaffolds, beads and coatings – acting locally without systemic consequences.

The Killam Prizes are Canada’s most distinguished annual awards for outstanding career achievements in engineering, natural sciences, humanities, social sciences and health sciences. The 2008 award of $100,000 was announced by the Canada Council for the Arts, which administers the Killam program. Four other prominent Canadians were awarded the prize with Dr. Sefton

The Killam Prizes were inaugurated in 1981 and financed through funds donated to the Canada Council by Mrs. Dorothy J. Killam in memory of her husband, Izaak Walton Killam. The prizes were created to honour eminent Canadian scholars and scientists actively engaged in research, whether in industry, government agencies or universities. The Killam Trusts, which fund scholarships and research at four Canadian universities, a research institute and the Canada Council, are valued at approximately $400 million.

The Canada Council will present the Killam Prizes at a dinner and ceremony on Monday, June 16 in Vancouver.

Here is a copy of the full story, as it appears on the Canada Council for the Arts Web site at: http://www.canadacouncil.ca/news/releases/2008/nf128539538656519080.htm