Dr. Chil-Yong (Yong) Kang, PhD, DSc, FRSC, is a molecular virologist and Professor of Virology in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.
He carried out his post-graduate studies at McMaster University where he received his Ph.D. in virology under the supervision of Professor Ludvik Prevec in 1971. He took his postdoctoral training under Professor Howard Temin (1975 Nobel Laureate) at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (1971-1974). He received his Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degrees from McMaster University and from Carleton University.
He has served as a Professor of Microbiology at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas (1974-1982), Professor and Chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine (1982-1992), Dean of Science at the University of Western Ontario (1992-1999), and Professor of Virology in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario (1992-present).
His research in molecular virology includes the development of viral-specific antiviral therapeutic agents and efficacious vaccines against various human viral diseases including AIDS, hepatitis, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. He has already developed a second-generation vaccine against hepatitis B virus and an experimental vaccine against HIV/AIDS by using state-of-the-art technologies of genetic engineering and biotechnology. His HIV/AIDS vaccine is based on genetically modified killed whole-HIV which has been in Phase I human clinical trials and recently completed successfully. He is now preparing for the Phase II trials. He has also developed a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-based platform technology for MERS-CoV, Ebolavirus, Zika virus vaccine development. Dr. Kang has published 142 peer reviewed scientific papers and 161 conference Proceedings and Abstracts in fields of virology, medicine, Immunology and molecular biology. He holds thirteen international biotechnology patents which cover over 75 countries.
Dr. Kang has received numerous prizes such as the Sahng-Huh Cultural Grand Prize in Academia (1991), Award of Excellence of the University of Ottawa (1991), Ho-Am Prize in Medicine (1999), Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Western Ontario (2009), and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). Dr. Kang is an elected Life-time Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Science (1993) and an elected Life-time Member of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (1997).
He continues to serve as a grant selection committee member for various federal granting agencies in Canada and the USA and as a member of the Board of Directors of numerous research institutions and foundations. Dr. Kang has served as a member of the Science Technology Innovation Council (STIC) of Canada for three years. Dr. Kang serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Virology, Journal of Infectious Diseases, Virus Research, Virology, Journal of Biological Chemistry and Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Dr. Kang and his team are widely lauded for creating an HIV vaccine and have been working on a vaccine for MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) – which is highly related to COVID-19. His research team is working round-the-clock on a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Dr Kang will discuss the vaccine process and update us on the progress of his vaccine.