Dr. Max Cynader, Neuroscience Researcher
Director of the Brain Research Centre, Vancouver Hospital; Professor of Opthomology, University of British Columbia

Dr. Max Cynader could never be accused of being in a rut. This Neuroscience researcher currently serves as the Director of the Brain Research Centre at Vancouver Hospital, but he is also a Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of British Columbia, the founder of the gene therapy company Neurovir, the founder of the voice recognition technology company WaveMakers, and the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including the Distinguished Medical Research Lecturer award in 1992 and several Excellence in Teaching Awards. Considered one of the premier neuroscience researchers in Canada, Dr. Cynader has published over 160 scientific papers and has presented his research at more than 300 national and international scientific meetings and conferences.

At the core of all Dr. Cynader’s activities is his love of science: “Science is just endlessly exciting,” said Dr. Cynader, “There have been times when I have started to read a book to become familiar with a new area of science, but I never got past the preface because those first few pages gave me an idea that required that I drop everything and get to work!”

Dr. Cynader’s love of all things scientific almost took him into outer space—literally. In the early 1980s, Dr. Cynader came across an article in the newspaper calling for applicants to the Canadian Astronaut Program. In his application, Dr. Cynader wrote a letter explaining how his research on the interaction between the visual and vestibular systems was exquisitely suited to experimentation in space. Dr. Cynader made it past the first screens all the way to the interview, and he wasn’t eliminated from consideration until the Semi-Final round. He believes that he was eventually ruled out because he wasn’t willing to give up his life as a Neuroscience researcher and professor to devote himself exclusively to the Astronaut Program.

“Plus,” Dr. Cynader added, laughing, “I wasn’t really that great with motion sickness.”

Although Dr. Cynader describes himself as a “dilettante,” his wide range of activities has focused on issues related to his expertise on the nervous system. His first company, Neurovir, utilized a genetic vector that Dr. Cynader had originally developed to manipulate synaptic plasticity. Dr. Cynader and his colleagues genetically manipulated the vector so that it became quiescent in neurons—this meant that the vector would kill tumor cells but lie dormant within “good” cells, creating a very specific method of targeting cancer without endangering the healthy parts of the nervous system. As the technology progressed and moved into clinical trials, Neurovir was bought out by a German pharmaceutical company.

Dr. Cynader admits that he was a little sad to see this company that he had nurtured pass into the hands of another group. However, he didn’t have much time to spend missing Neurovir, because he almost immediately started on a new venture that became a company called WaveMakers. WaveMakers, which uses a computational model of the auditory system to develop voice recognition technology, was in turn recently acquired by Harmon International.

Dr. Cynader is not quite sure if he is “hungry enough” to start a third company, but he does have a few more ideas percolating in the back of his mind, and it is probably just a matter of time before he is using his considerable talents to begin a new venture.

When asked if he considers himself more of an entrepreneur or a scientist, Dr. Cynader said that he is a “scientist with an entrepreneurial bent.”

“Look,” he continued, “I don’t hide the business aspect of my life. I think it’s important to educate young scientists to be entrepreneurial, particularly with respect to protecting their intellectual property. The reality is that you need an industrial partner to get your discoveries translated into medicines for the public. If you really have something that can be a benefit, as a scientist I think you have an obligation to protect your intellectual property to make sure industrial partners can use your discovery. Otherwise, all you have is a journal article, with no potential to do any further good with your results.”

Dr. Cynader’s advice for scientists venturing into the business world: “Be an optimist. Things don’t always sail along in business—there are massive ups and downs during this ride. Persistence, flexibility, and a constant look-out for opportunities are essential. And always be fair—try to find ways for everyone involved to do well. This isn’t just a nice thing to do, it is essential for success.”

Dr. Cynader isn’t sure what his next adventure is going to be, but he is sure of one thing: “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

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