Justin Grant

Dr. Justin Grant has over twenty years of experience in leading research for the development of medical and pharmaceutical products. His experience includes twelve years of leadership roles in some of Canada’s top research and medical institutions such as the University of Toronto and Health Network (UHN). From 2007-2019, he served as Staff Scientist and the Research Program Manager of the world renowned STTARR Innovation Centre with Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. From 2019-2021, he was the Executive Vice President of Scientific Affairs for Avicanna Inc. for the development and commercialization of advanced medical cannabis products globally. Dr. Grant has also held academic appointments at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Pharmacy as Assistant Professor and Affiliated Faculty position at the Techna Institute to implement health technologies in a hospital setting. His academic accomplishments include a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Toronto where he published and patented several sustained drug release formulations. In addition, Dr. Grant completed his Executive Master of Business (MBA) from Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and was the recipient of the Rotman Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence. He is an Instructor at Rotman for Corporate Strategy and Healthcare Innovation. Currently, Justin is a co-Founder and the Chief Scientific Officer of The Psyence Group, a public life science biotechnology company that has a focus on natural psilocybin and other psychedelics to heal psychological trauma and its mental health consequences.

Peer-reviewed Research Publications:

1. Lowe H, Toyang N, Steele B, Grant J, Ali A, Gordon L, Ngwa W. Psychedelics: Alternative and Potential Therapeutic Options for Treating Mood and Anxiety Disorders. Molecules. 2022 Apr 14;27(8):2520. doi: 10.3390/molecules27082520.
2. Lowe H, Toyang N, Steele B, Valentine H, Grant J, Ali A, Ngwa W, Gordon L. The Therapeutic Potential of Psilocybin. Molecules. 2021 May 15;26(10):2948. doi: 10.3390/molecules26102948. PMID: 34063505; PMCID: PMC8156539.
3. Ali A, Dindoust D, Grant J, Clarke D. Delivering epilepsy care in low-resource settings: the role of technology. Expert Rev Med Devices. 2021 Dec;18(sup1):13-23.
4. Ramsay Z, Bartlett R, Ali A, Grant J, Gordon-Strachan G, Asnani M. Sickle Cell Disease and Pain: Is it all Vaso-occlusive Crises? The Clinical Journal of Pain 37, no. 8 (2021): 583-590
5. Bartlett R, Ramsay Z, Ali A, Grant J, Rankine-Mullings A, Gordon-Strachan G, Asnani M. Health-related quality of life and neuropathic pain in sickle cell disease in Jamaica. Disabil Health J. 2021 Apr 15:101107. doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2021.101107. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33867318.
6. Ramsay, Zachary, Damian Francis, Rachel Bartlett, Georgiana Gordon-Strachan, Justin Grant, Amza Ali, and Monika Asnani. "Assessing neuropathic pain in sickle cell disease: How useful is quantitative sensory testing?." medRxiv (2021).
7. Yoon, N., Dadson, K., Dang, T., Chu, T., Noskovicova, N., Hinz, B., Raignault, A., Thorin, E., Kim, S., Jeon, J.S. and Jonkman, McKee, T. Grant J., Peterson,  J., Kelly, S., and Sweeney G., 2019. Tracking adiponectin biodistribution via fluorescence molecular tomography indicates increased vascular permeability after streptozotocin-induced diabetes. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 317(5), pp.E760-E772.
8. J. Grant, P. Zahedi, A. Tsallas, C. Allen. Thermosensitive Depot Forming Injectable Phosphatidylcholine Blends Tailored for Localized Drug Delivery. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2013, Volume 102, Issue 10, 3623–3631.
9. V. Vassileva, E.H. Moriyama, R. De Souza, J. Grant, C. Allen, B.C. Wilson, M. Piquette-Miller. Efficacy assessment of sustained intraperitoneal paclitaxel therapy in a murine model of ovarian cancer using bioluminescent imaging.  British Journal of Cancer, 2008, 99, 2037-43.
10. J. Grant, H. Lee, R.C. Liu, C. Allen. Intermolecular interactions and morphology of aqueous polymer/surfactant mixtures containing cationic chitosan and nonionic sorbitan esters.  Biomacromolecules, 2008, 9, 2146-52.
11. J. Grant, H. Lee, P. LimSoo, J. Cho, M. Piquette-Miller, C. Allen. Influence of Molecular Organization and Interactions on Drug Release for an Injectable Polymer-Lipid Blend. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2008, 360, 83-90.
12. P. LimSoo, J. Cho, J. Grant, E. Ho, M. Piquette-Miller, C. Allen. Effect of Ascites Fluid on the In Vitro Release of Paclitaxel from a Chitosan-Lipid Implant System. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceuics, 2008, 69, 149-157.
13. P. LimSoo, J. Cho, J. Grant, E. Ho, M. Piquette-Miller, C. Allen. Effect of Ascites Fluid on the In Vitro Release of Paclitaxel from a Chitosan-Lipid Implant System. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceuics, 2008, 69, 149-157.
14. L. Huynh, J. Grant, J-C Leroux, P. Delmas and C. Allen. Predicting the Miscibility of Docetaxel and Small Molecules using a Molecular Dynamics Approach. Pharmaceutical Research, 2007, 25, 147-157.
15. V. Vassileva, J. Grant, R. De Souza, C. Allen, M. Piquette-Miller. Novel Biocompatible Intraperitoneal Drug Delivery System Increases Tolerability and Therapeutic Efficacy of Paclitaxel in a Human Ovarian Cancer Xenograft Model. Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology, 2007, 60, 907-914.
16. J.  Grant, J.P.Tomba, H. Lee, C. Allen.  Relationship Between Composition and Properties for Stable Chitosan Films Containing Lipid Microdomains.  Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2007, 103, 3453-3460.
17. J. Cho, J. Grant, M. Piquette-Miller, C. Allen, Synthesis, Physicochemical and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Water-Soluble Chitosan Derivative as a Biomaterial. Biomacromolecules, 2006, 7 (10), 2845 -2855.
18. J. Grant, J. Cho and C.allen. Self-Assembly, Physicochemical and Rheological Properties of a Polysaccharide-Surfactant System Formed from the Cationic Biopolymer Chitosan and Non-Ionic Sorbitan Esters. Langmuir, 2006, 22(9), 4327-4335
19. J. Grant, M. Blicker, M. Piquette-Miller, C. Allen, Hybrid Films from Blends of Chitosan and Egg Phosphatidylcholine for Localized Delivery of Paclitaxel. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2005, 94(7), 1512-27.
20. S. Buck, P. Pennefather, H. Xue, J. Grant, Y.L. Cheng, C. Allen, Engineering Lipobeads: Properties of the Hydrogel Core and the Lipid Bilayer Shell.  Biomacromolecules, 2004, 5(6), 2230-7.