biography, Evans
Dr. Evans is a virologist with a special interest in the biology of poxviruses
Dr. David Evans
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.
Dr. Evans also studies the mechanisms by which poxviruses perturb signal transduction cascades through interfering with intracellular redox states, and has more recently started new investigations into the use of poxviruses as oncolytic agents.
Many of these studies are facilitated through collaborations with American, Canadian, and European partners and are currently supported by peer-reviewed grant funding from NSERC, CIHR, and the Alberta Cancer Board.
Dr. Evans’ investigations into the mechanism of poxvirus recombination led to the isolation of a virus enzyme that catalyzes recombination reactions in vitro. This method has been patented and licensed to Clontech-Takara and is currently marketed as a tool for high-throughput cloning of PCR-amplified DNA. The University of Guelph (his former employer) manages the royalties and Dr. Evans currently has University of Alberta-based contracts to supply the enzyme to Clontech for use in these kits. These contracts provide a significant revenue stream to the University and to his laboratory.
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.
At the University of Alberta he has recruited three new faculty to date and led an application to the CFI that resulted in the 2006 award of $24.9 million (total) in funding for a project entitled the “Alberta Institute for Viral Immunology”. This project is building state-of-the-art facilities in Edmonton and Calgary for studying mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and a regional facility for performing high-throughput genome-scale RNAi screens.
He has accumulated many years of service on CIHR panels, including “Virology and Viral Pathogenesis”, served on several NIH panels, and is a voting member on the WHO smallpox scientific advisory committee.
 Read more about Dr. Evans' research
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