About Us
Hermay Labs
Hermay Labs Corporation is a chemistry-based, high-tech, scientific laboratory dedicated to conducting leading-edge research and development. Our founding members have strong entrepreneurial backgrounds and decades of experience in synthetic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, chemistry research, and process development. Our innovative approaches to drug discovery and product development are based on ecologically sound, leading-edge processes.
Hermay works with innovators and investors to create new technologies that generate high-quality products. As scientists and entrepreneurs, we know how much effort is required to bring great ideas to life. We have the experience and expertise to identify good ideas and turn them into great products. To this end, we maintain strong relationships with universities, industry, public organizations and investors.
Key Scientific Leaders
Junzhi (John) Yao, Ph.D., President
Dr. Yao obtained his Ph.D. in chemistry from Wuhan University, a highly respected institution in China. He subsequently served as an Assistant Professor at Wuhan University and Visiting Scholar at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology before undertaking post-doctoral research at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas) and the University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Manitoba). After spending many years working as an industrial research scientist in Winnipeg and Edmonton, Dr. Yao co-founded several companies, including a profitable contract research organization (CRO). Dr. Yao is a natural entrepreneur, building up companies from scratch and growing them to become sustainable and profitable businesses.
Leonard I. Wiebe, DSc, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Wiebe obtained his Ph.D. (1970) and D.Sc. (2002) from the University of Sydney (Australia) and holds Honorary Doctorates in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Meiji Pharmaceutical University (Japan) and Health Sciences University of Hokkaido (Japan). He was first appointed to the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences's academic staff at the University of Alberta in 1970, and after promotion to Associate (1973), Full Professor (1978) and Professor Emeritus in 2003. Dr. Wiebe held interim research appointments at the University of Tübingen, the German Cancer Research Center, and Heidelberg University in Germany, and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Sydney University in Australia. He has served as an expert consultant to numerous Universities and international agencies, including the Volkswagen Foundation, Cancer UK, the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (now ANSTO), the Helmholtz Foundation, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Dr. Wiebe was the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation's first Ambassador Scientist for Canada (2007-2012) and the first permanent Director of Biomedicine and Health at ANSTO. He is a member of the Editorial Boards of several international scientific journals published in his fields of interest.
Richard Fahlman , Ph.D., Scientific Advisor
Dr. Fahlman is an expert in applied and analytical biochemistry with 25 years of research experience. Dr. Fahlman earned his doctorate at Simon Fraser University, and completed post-doctoral research at the University of Colorado, Northwestern University and the University of British Columbia. He is currently Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Oncology and Director of the Alberta Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry core facility at the University of Alberta. He has served on the Scientific Advisory boards of several companies and is a current grant panel member for the Cancer Biology and Therapeutics panel for the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Cancer Society. His current research interests lie in autoimmunity and oncology, with a specific molecular focus on proteostasis mechanisms in these diseases. Dr. Fahlman is an inventor of two patents and an author of 61 publications.
Current Research and Development Projects and Products
1. Skin depigmentation and chemotherapy of advanced melanoma
Skin pigmentation control and melanoma chemotherapy are serious goals for people from all walks of life. Affected individuals suffering from occupational or recreational exposure to sunlight, including sun-tanning, or experiencing drug-induced hyperpigmentation, look to the cosmetic industry for help, mainly because the pharmaceutical industry has not championed scientifically proven remedies. Similarly, melanoma-targeted drugs are largely ineffective, leaving chemotherapy as a last and usually futile attempt to treat advanced-stage melanoma.
Hermay Labs has developed a series of compounds representing a new opportunity to modulate skin hyperpigmentation and inhibit melanoma growth at the biomolecular level. Hermay Labs is seeking partners and collaborators, and is offering investors early-stage opportunities to promote this technology.
2. Anti-cancer drug discovery platform
Statistics reveal that 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women have cancer in their lifetime; 1 in 4 men and 1 in 5 women will die from these malignant diseases. A novel emerging approach to fighting cancer is a technology called Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras or PROTACs. Unlike the competitive and occupancy-driven process of traditional inhibitors, PROTACs molecules are catalytic in their mode of action, where they promote target protein degradation at low exposure concentrations. PROTACs have the potential to degrade the target pathogenic protein and complete shunt-related signalling pathways, a process not achieved by traditional therapies (inhibitor/activator). As a promising new technology, PROTACs have gained significant attention from academia and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Although important advances have been made with the PROTAC technology, there are many clinical development challenges. One critical challenge is to increase the clinical success potential while reducing chemoresistance. For example, E3 ligases dictate ubiquitination/removal of the target molecules, and current PROTAC drug candidates target only a single E3 ubiquitin ligase. This has the potential for the drug to fail, as the targeted E3 ubiquitin ligase may not be present in every cancer cell and tissue type, and the targeted E3 ubiquitin ligase may become mutated during acquired drug resistance. Hermay Labs Corporation has developed a series of lead compounds that can simultaneously bind to three different homologous E3 ubiquitin ligases, thereby largely by-passing effective acquired resistance. We believe this will revolutionize the paradigm of PROTAC development and design because our platform will increase efficacy and decrease potential drug resistance.
3. Affordable and sustainable water treatment materials
The global water and wastewater treatment market is expected to reach $211.3 billion by 2025, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5% during the forecast period of 2019 to 2025. At Hermay Labs, we intend to improve water treatments by developing innovative, affordable and sustainable water treatment materials.
Hermay Labs and its European collaborator have developed a series of water filtering materials that efficiently and economically treat water: a SuperFilter system that filters natural water to provide drinkable (potable) water; a FirstFilter system to remove the environmental pollutants from industrial wastewater; and a FineFilter system which can remove heavy metal pollutants.
We Are Hiring
Working with us
Hermay Labs Corp is seeking knowledgeable, experienced, and motivated professionals capable of working effectively in a multidisciplinary team environment in Edmonton, Canada. We are looking for individuals from chemistry and other technical backgrounds to work collaboratively in our scientific laboratory to synthesize new chemicals, to create products and technologies that benefit the health of humans and the environment.
We offer the opportunity to work within a culture of highly motivated, talented individuals who are dedicated to the company's mission. Each job provides wide-ranging responsibilities due to our cross-functional organizational structure and leadership style, which ensures that everyone is engaged, committed and accountable.
Research Scientist / Senior Research Scientist – Chemistry
Candidates who have a strong synthetic organic chemistry background with MSc or PhD degree in Synthetic Chemistry are preferred. The Research Scientist / Senior Research Scientist will design and conduct chemical reactions and purification to synthesize complex organic compounds in our scientific laboratory.
The position will remain open until suitable candidates are found.
Please send your resume to info@hermay.ca