Sarrazin Award Lectureship

1659-1734
Doctor Michel Sarrazin
“The First Canadian Physiologist”

The Sarrazin lectureship was initiated in 1976, by the Society for a “Distinguished Speaker” to give a 1 hour lecture to the Society at its meeting and that the Lectureship would be called the “Sarrazin Lecture” in recognition of “the First Canadian Physiologist”. Although nominations were initially solicited from the membership and the Lecturer selected by the Executive, it was subsequently felt appropriate for the outgoing President of the Society to be charged with making the selection of the speaker for the subsequent Annual Meeting. The first Sarrazin Lecturer was Dr. Harold Copp, who presented his lecture at the Winter Meeting of the Society in 1977.

The 2010 Sarrazin Lecturer is Dr. Terrance Snutch from the Michael Smith Laboratories and the Brain Research Center at the University of British Columbia.

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2010 Sarrazin Lecturer
Terrance Snutch

Dr. Terrance Snutch is professor and Canada Research Chair in the Michael Smith Laboratories and the Brain Research Centre at the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Snutch was born in Preston, Ontario (now Cambridge), received his PhD in molecular genetics from Simon Fraser University and carried out postdoctoral research in neurobiology at the California Institute of Technology under professors Norman Davidson and Henry Lester. While a postdoctoral fellow at Caltech some of Dr. Snutch’s contributions included the development of novel methodology to clone receptors and ion channels expressed in the brain and which resulted in the isolation of the first serotonin receptor and the major neuronal voltage-gated sodium channel.

Dr. Snutch is widely considered a pioneer in the molecular neurobiology of ion channels and is most well known for his identification, molecular cloning and characterization of the family of voltage-gated calcium channels. He was the first to describe that a molecularly diverse family of calcium channels underlies the calcium-dependent signaling responsible for physiological properties ranging from pacemaker activity in the heart to hormone release to pain sensation. Over the past 20 years Dr. Snutch’s work has also elucidated numerous aspects related to the modulation of calcium channels via protein kinases and G-proteins and described how subtype-specific modulation contributes to physiological processes such as opioid receptor-mediated pain signaling and epileptiform activity. Calcium channels are implicated in a number of serious human diseases and Dr. Snutch’s work has provided important new therapeutic targets for migraine, congenital night blindness, stroke, epilepsy, cardiovascular disease, autism, epilepsy, chronic pain and certain psychotic disorders.

Recognizing the both importance of calcium channel proteins in unmet human diseases and the opportunity for translational research, in 1998 Dr. Snutch founded the biotechnology company, Neuromed Pharmaceuticals. Under Dr. Snutch’s direction Neuromed became one of Canada’s most successful private biotech companies, developing and advancing new drugs aimed at the treatment of chronic pain and epilepsy.

Dr. Snutch’s seminal contributions have been recognized through a number of prestigious scientific awards and accolades, including the International Albrecht Fleckenstein Award from Bayer, the Steacie Prize, Howard Hughes International Research Scholar, an honorary doctorate from Simon Fraser University, and induction as a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Sarrazin Lecturers

  1. 1977. Harold A. Copp (University of British Columbia) “Calcitonin and the regulation of internal calcium levels” Banff, Alberta.
  2. 1978. L.B. Jacques (University of Saskatchewan) “Heparin: its medical and physiological significance” Mont Ste. Marie, Québec.<
  3. 1979. F.C. (Hank) MacIntosh (McGill University) “The age of bioassay” or “My early stumbles on the trail of histamine and acetylcholine” Mount Orford, Québec.
  4. 1980. Herbert H. Jasper (McGill University, Université de Montréal) “Adventures of a neuroscientist” Banff, Alberta.
  5. 1981. Hans Selye (Université de Montréal) Award made (address to the Society not made due to illness). Ste. Adèle, Québec.
  6. 1982. A.M. Rappaport (University of Toronto) “The idea behind it all” Beaupré (Mont Sainte-Anne), Québec.
  7. 1983. Jack Kraicer (Queen’s University) “Mechanisms governing the release of growth hormone: Role of cyclic nucleotides and Ca2+” Vernon, British Columbia.
  8. 1984. Kresimir Krnjevic (McGill University) “Travels in physiology” Ste. Adèle, Québec.
  9. 1985. Hugh McLennan (University of British Columbia) “Michel Sarrazin, 1659-1734″ Mont Rolland, Québec.
  10. 1986. Keith E. Cooper (University of Calgary) “Adventures in thermoregulation” Lake Louise, Alberta.
  11. 1987. Henry Friesen (University of Manitoba) ” Reflections on a snowy evening” Ste. Adèle, Québec.
  12. 1988. Vivian C. Abrahams (Queen’s University) “Early days in the making of one physiologist”. Ste. Jovite (Mt. Tremblant), Québec.
  13. 1989. John C. Brown (University of British Columbia) “The gastrointestinal hormones motilin and GIP” Whistler, British Columbia.
  14. 1990. Fernand Labrie (Université Laval) “Peripheral tissues are important sites of sex steroid formation in the human: A new field of endocrinology which extends from gene structure to therapy that prolongs life in prostate cancer” Beaupré (Mont Sainte-Anne),.Québec.
  15. 1991. Gordon J. Mogenson (University of Western Ontario) “Some aspects of limbic-motor integration: dopamine modulation of limbic inputs to ventral striatal neurons” Beaupré (Mont Sainte-Anne), Québec.
  16. 1992. Yves Lamarre (Université de Montréal) “Central mechanisms of tremor” Kimberley, British Columbia.
  17. 1993. Andrew S. French (University of Alberta) “The cockroach tactile spine” Ste. Jovite (Mt. Tremblant), Québec.
  18. 1994. John Ledsome (University of British Columbia) “The cardiac atria and the homeostasis of extracellular fluid volume” Lake Louise, Alberta.
  19. 1995. Jack Diamond (MacMaster University) Ste. Jovite (Mt. Tremblant), Québec.
  20. 1996. Geza T. Hetenyi (University of Ottawa) “The sweetness of life: glucose homeostasis” Lake Louise, Alberta.
  21. 1997. John C. Szerb (Dalhousie University) “When the going was good” Mont. Gabriel, Québec.
  22. 1998. Leo P. Renaud (University of Ottawa) “The “NEURO” in neuroendocrine: what’s it got for physiologists?” Kimberley, BC.
  23. 1999. Michel Bergeron (Université de Montréal) “Cellular organization, organelle interrelationship: Terra nova.” Marble Mountain, Newfoundland.
  24. 2000. James P. Lund (McGill University, Université de Montréal) “Revelling in the joys of mastication”, Lake Louise, Alberta.
  25. 2001. Richard B. Stein (University of Alberta) “A personal odyssey from physics to physiology and prosthetics” Mont Tremblant, Québec.
  26. 2002. Geoffry Melvill Jones (University of Calgary, McGill University) “Thrills and spills in a parapetitic life of messing about in labs”, Silver Star, BC.
  27. 2003. Harold L. Atwood (University of Toronto) “Insight by accident or insight by design?” Beaupré (Mont Sainte-Anne), Québec.
  28. 2004. John R. Challis (University of Toronto) “Preterm birth, fetal glucocorticoids, and the developmental programming of health and disease (DOHAD)”, Silver Star, BC.
  29. 2005. Alison M. Buchan (University of British Columbia) “A physiologist’s journey from neuroendocrinology to infectious diseases.” Beaupré (Mont Sainte-Anne), Québec.
  30. 2006. Alvin Shrier (McGill University) “The beat goes on” Lake Louise, Alberta.
  31. 2007. Keir Pearson (University of Alberta) “Neurobiology of locomotion.” Beaupré (Mont Sainte-Anne), Québec.
  32. 2008. Quentin Pittman (University of Calgary) “Some like it hot: an inflammatory view of physiology” Lake Louise Alberta.
  33. 2009 John MacDonald (University of Western Ontario) “Adventures in NMDA receptors, phosphorylation and hippocampal synaptic plasticity” Beaupré (Mont Sainte-Anne), Québec.
  34. 2010 Terrance P Snutch (University of British Columbia)