– Bio –
Dr. Bo-Shiun Lai is a physician-scientist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. His clinical work includes general family medicine, HIV hepatitis C management in primary care, and treatment of menopause symptoms. His research led to both the development of a novel therapy against toxoplasmosis and deepening understanding of host immune response. His work resulted in a United States patent and a nomination for the Cozzarelli Prize, awarded annually by the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Lai obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in 2017 from the University of Cambridge, where he was a recipient of the prestigious, full-ride Gates Cambridge Scholarship. He received his Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the world-renowned Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2021. He completed training in family medicine at the University of Toronto in 2023. Dr. Lai is fully certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. His hobbies include swimming, photography, and traveling. Above all else, he enjoys spending time with the love of his life, Jennifer.

– Education –

• M.D. Johns Hopkins University, 2021
• Ph.D. University of Cambridge, 2017
• Gates Cambridge Scholar, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

– Licensure –

• CPSBC No. 57588 (MSP No. J4086)
• Certification in Family Medicine, 2023

– Honours and Awards –

• Medical Innovators Development Program ($353,000 CAD), Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
• Nomination for the Robert W. Woodruff Fellowship, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
• Gates Cambridge Scholarship ($277,000 CAD), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA
• Cambridge International Scholarship ($223,000 CAD), University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England
• Nomination for the Cozzarelli Prize in Biomedical Sciences, National Academy of Sciences USA, Washington, DC
• Phi Beta Kappa, Beta of Illinois Chapter, Chicago, IL
• Toxoplasmosis Research Institute Research Fellowship, Chicago, IL

– Professional Associations –
Doctors of BC, Vancouver, BC
Ontario Medical Association, Toronto, ON
Canadian Medical Association, Ottawa, ON
The College of Family Physicians of Canada, Mississauga, ON

– Patent –
U.S. Patent 8,575,126: “Conjugate constructs, delivery, and use for treatment of disease,” November 5, 2013.

– Publications –

• Sidhom JW, Siddarthan I Lai B (equal contribution), Luo A, Hambley BC, Bynum J, Duffield AS, Streiff MB, Moliterno AR, Imus Philip, Gocke CB, Gondek LP, DeZern AE, Baras AS, Kickler T, Levis MJ, Shenderov S. (2021) Deep learning for diagnosis of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia via recognition of genomically imprinted morphologic features. npj Precision Oncology (Nature) 5(1):38.
• Sidhom JW, Siddarthan I Lai B (equal contribution), Luo A, Hambley BC, Bynum J, Duffield AS, Streiff MB, Moliterno AR, Imus Philip, Gocke CB, Gondek LP, DeZern AE, Baras AS, Kickler T, Levis MJ, Shenderov S. (2021) Deep learning for distinguishing morphologic features of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. Blood 138(1):10-12.
• Zhang Y, Lai B, Juhas M. (2020) Deactivation and misvocalization of Toxoplasma gondii rhoptry protein 18 induced by a single amino acid mutation on the proton transport catalytic aspartic acid. Microbiological Research 230:126352.
• Zhang Y, Lai B, Juhas M. (2019) Recent advances in aptamer discovery and applications. Molecules 24(5):e941.
• Zhang Y, Lai B, Juhas M, Zhang Y. (2019) Toxoplasma gondii secretory proteins and their role in invasion and pathogenesis. Microbiological Research 227:126293.
• Zhang Y, Chen J, Wang Y, Wang D, Cong W, Lai B, Zhao Y. (2019) Multilayer network analysis of miRNA and protein expression profiles in breast cancer patients. PLoS One 14(4):e0202311.
• Lykins J, Li X, Levigne P, Zhou Y, El Bissati, Clouser F, Wallono M, Morel F, Leahy K, El Mansouri B, Siddiqui M, Leong N, Michalowski M, Irwin E, Goodall P, Ismail M, Christmas M, Adlaoui EB, Rhajaoui M, Barat A, Cong H, Begeman IJ, Lai B, Contopoulos-Ioannidis DG, Montoya JG, Maldonado Y, Ramirez R, Press C, Peyron F, McLeod R. (2018) Rapid, inexpensive, fingerstick, whole-blood, sensitive, specific, point-of-care testing for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies. PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis. 12(8):e0006536.
• Begeman IJ, Lykins J, Zhou Y, Lai B, Levigne P, El Bissati K, Boyer K, Withers S, Clouser F, Noble AG, Rabiah P, Swisher CN, Heydemann PT, Contopoulos-loannidis DG, Montoya JG, Maldonado Y, Ramirez R, Press C, Stillwaggon E, Peyron F, McLeod R. (2017) Point-of-care testing for Toxoplasma gondii IgG/IgM using Toxoplasma ICT IgG-IgM test with sera from the United States and implications for developing countries. PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis. 11(6):e0005670.
• Zhou Y, Fomovska A, Muench S, Lai B, Mui E, McLeod R. (2014) Spiroindolone that inhibits PfATPase4 is a potent, cidal inhibitor of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites in vitro and in vivo. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 58(3):1789-1792.
• Lai B, Witola WH, Bissati KE, Zhou Y, Mui E, Fomovska A, McLeod R. (2012) Molecular target validation, antimicrobial delivery, and potential treatment of Toxoplasma gondii infections. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 109(35):14182-14187.
• Cheng G, Muench SP, Zhou Y, Afanador GA, Stec J, Mui EJ, Fomovska A, Lai B, Prigge ST, Woods S, Roberts CW, Hickman MR, Lee PJ, Leed SE, Auschwitz JM, Rice DW, McLeod R. (2013) Design, synthesis and biological activity of diaryl ether inhibitors of Toxoplasma gondii enoyl reductase. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 23(7):2035-2043.
• Stec J, Fomovska A, Afanador GA, Muench SP, Zhou Y, Lai B, Bissati KE, Hickman MR, Lee PJ, Leed SE, Auschwitz JM, Sommervile SW, Roberts CW, Rice D, Prigge ST, McLeod R, Kozikowski AP. (2013) Modification of triclosan scaffold in search of improved inhibitors for enoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductase in Toxoplasma gondii. ChemMedChem 8(7):1138-1160.

• "Redefining Rare Disease,” The Huffington Post, 30 June 2014