Vikramaditya Yadav

Wall Scholar

Title

Associate Professor

Department/School

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Faculty

Applied Science

University

UBC

Geographic Location

Canada
Vikramaditya Yadav

Vikramaditya G. Yadav received his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and then went on to conduct post-doctoral research at Harvard University. He joined the faculty at The University of British Columbia (UBC) in the summer of 2014.

His research group utilizes metabolic and enzyme engineering to investigate and customize novel biosynthetic enzymes that can convert biomass-derived feedstocks into better fuels, pharmaceuticals and value-added chemicals. Notably, his group is pioneering the development of ‘biosynthonics’ – a novel paradigm for discovering and synthesizing potent bioactive molecules. They also extend these principles to the design and development of unique bioremediation strategies to rehabilitate the water quality in and around industrial zones. In addition to green engineering, his research group also pursues medical biotechnology research, and their work in this domain primarily focuses on pharmaceutical nanotechnology, drug delivery and tissue engineering. His group also works extensively on development of synthetic biology solutions for limiting the transmission of malaria.

Dr. Yadav has forged strong academic and industrial collaborations, and he is currently working with two biotechnology companies in Vancouver to commercialize his research. He is also a strong advocate of philanthropic science and was awarded the prestigious MIT Legatum Fellowship for his efforts to commercialise a drug manufacturing scheme in the developing world. He is also the Vice-Chair of the Biotechnology Division of the Chemical Institute of Canada.

Primary Recipient Awards

Vikramaditya Yadav – Wall Scholars – 2015

Dr. Yadav and his group recently embarked on the development of a novel brain-on-chip device for preclinical testing of anti-neurodegeneration drugs for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, a project which will form the centerpiece of his scholastic residence at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies. This project combines mathematical modeling and analysis with key concepts from stem cell bioengineering, micro-manufacturing and engineering design, and represents a methodological advancement that will potentially open new frontiers in biomedical engineering.

Co-Principal Investigator Awards

Christian Naus – International Research Roundtables – 2017

Printing the Future of Therapeutics in 3D
Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Christian Naus, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, UBC; Dr. Vikramaditya Yadav, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, UBC

This Roundtable showcased the global leaders in tissue engineering research and pharmaceutical industry experts discussing the latest developments in the rapidly emerging and potentially game-changing technology of 3D-printing living human tissues (bioprinting).

Dr. Yadav explains that bioprinted tissues or organs could allow scientists to predict beforehand how a drug will interact within the body. For every life-saving therapeutic drug that makes its way into our medicine cabinets, Health Canada blocks the entry of nine drugs because they are proven unsafe or ineffective. Eliminating poor-quality drug candidates to reduce development costs—and therefore the cost to consumers—has never been more urgent.

Learn more: Organ printing holds promise for better health care, cheaper drugs