David Evans

Biography

Dr. Evans is a virologist with a special interest in the biology of poxviruses.  He has a long-standing interest in the mechanism of viral genetic recombination and the enzymatic links between virus recombination and DNA replication.  His work has generated new insights into the mechanism of poxvirus recombination as well as a better understanding of the mode of action of drugs that inhibit poxvirus recombination by interfering in Orthopoxvirus DNA replication.  Such drugs are being stockpiled as potential smallpox therapeutics. In collaboration with colleagues in the Department of Oncology, Dr. Evans is also exploring the application of poxviruses as oncolytic agents.  Many of these studies are facilitated through collaborations with American, Canadian, Chinese, and European partners and are currently supported by grant funding from NSERC, CIHR, and the Alberta Cancer Board.  He has published some 70 primary research papers on these and related topics. Dr. Evans’ investigations into the mechanism of poxvirus recombination led to the isolation of a vaccinia virus enzyme that catalyzes recombination reactions in vitro.  This method has been patented in the USA Europe, and Asia and is sold under license to Clontech-Takara as InFusion® kits.  This “recombineering” technology has found its greatest application as a tool for high-throughput cloning of PCR-amplified DNA. Dr. Evans obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Alberta in 1982 and, after post-doctoral studies in Berkeley and Harvard, joined the Faculty of the University of Guelph in 1987.  He assumed the Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics in 1998 and served in that position until moving to the University of Alberta in 2003 to become Chair of the Medical Microbiology & Immunology Department.  From 2009-12 he also served as Head of the School of Molecular Medicine.  At the University of Alberta he has recruited 10 new Faculty and Faculty Service Officers to date (including Dr. M. Houghton, the new Canada Excellence Research Chair in Virology) and led a pan-provincial application to the CFI that resulted in the 2006 award of $24.9 million for a project entitled the “Alberta Institute for Viral Immunology”.  In 2010 the University of Alberta was given a gift of $25 million to support additional research in virology and Dr. Evans currently serves as the associate director in the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology.  He has accumulated many years of service on NSERC and CIHR panels, including over a decade of service on “Virology and Viral Pathogenesis”, served on several NIH panels, and is a voting member on the WHO smallpox scientific advisory committee.  Most recently he has been involved in creating two small biotech companies to commercialize discoveries coming from the Institute of Virology.

Research Interest

Pharmaceutical Sciences