Omar F. Khan

Professor Khan is the Canada Research Chair in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics. He earned his B.A.Sc. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry from the University of Toronto, and his academic supervisor was Professor Michael V. Sefton. He later joined the laboratories of Professors Daniel G. Anderson and Robert Langer as a Postdoctoral Associate in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Khan was also the Scientific Founder and Chief Scientist of Tiba Biotech, a Boston-area company spun out from his postdoctoral research. He has also co-founded the OFK Lab spinout Azane Therapeutics with his graduate students. As an mRNA nanotechnology and vaccine expert, he is regularly featured in television, radio and print news.

His early career focused on the creation of three dimensional organoid models and engineered tissue substitutes. This work evolved to include the development of nucleic acid-based platform technologies and novel biomaterials to study the genetic mechanisms of diseases and create RNA-based therapies. Now, Professor Khan endeavors to contribute to Canada’s growing research-to-translation ecosystem by creating new regenerative medicine-enabling technologies, and training highly qualified personnel capable of addressing diverse local and global bioengineering needs.

Outside of work, he loves swimming, cooking, and family time with his wife and two babies.