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. He emigrated to Canada and has been working at the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal (IRCM) since 1974. He is the director of the laboratory of Biochemical Neuroendocrinology. 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
• 1997 - Made Officer of the Ordre national du Québec
• 1999 - Made member of the Order of Canada
• 2001 - Winner of the McLaughlin medal
• 2001 - Winner of the Léo-Pariseau Prize
• 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