William Jia

Dr. Jia possesses over 20 years of experience in the field of constructing oncolytic viruses and viral vectors for gene therapy. He was the first in Canada and one of the few pioneers in the treatment of malignant tumors with recombinant oncolytic viruses. Dr. Jia holds many patents and has conducted research that has been widely cited, particularly in areas related to the effectiveness and safety of oncolytic viruses and virus-induced neurotoxicity. His invention of a novel HSV viral vector showed a much stronger anti-tumor potency by regulating viral gene expression in a tumor specific fashion without sacrificing the safety. In addition to his work in oncolytic virology, Dr. Jia has expertise in virus-induced immune responses and has also conducted research related to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as SARS and COVID-19. In 2021, Dr. Jia led a collaborative team effort that successfully developed an mRNA vaccine for the COVID-19 Omicron variant in partnership with CNBG-Virogin and Virogin, which is currently in clinical trials in China. He has also developed the first novel monkeypox mRNA vaccine in the world.