Mark Reed

Dr. Reed is a medicinal chemist and Scientist at the Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network (UHN). He is the Director of UHN Therapeutics and Co‑Chair of UHN’s Collaborative Centre for Drug Discovery, which focuses on identifying and advancing novel therapeutic targets across UHN, academic institutions in Toronto, and international research partners.

Dr. Reed is also a Co‑Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Treventis Corporation, a Toronto‑based biotechnology company developing therapies for protein misfolding disorders.

He brings over 20 years of experience in drug discovery spanning both biotechnology and pharmaceutical research environments. Prior to joining UHN, Dr. Reed held senior scientific roles at ICOS Corporation (Seattle) and Schering‑Plough Research Institute (Cambridge, MA). His work integrates modern medicinal chemistry approaches to discover, optimize, and advance de‑risked lead compounds toward clinical development, with research spanning central nervous system disorders, anti‑infectives, immunology, and oncology.

Dr. Reed has published extensively and is an inventor on multiple patents in the areas of synthetic organic chemistry, neurodegeneration, neuropathic pain, inflammation, and fibrosis. He holds cross‑appointments in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

Select Publications

1. Mancini, R.S., Bissey, P-A., Massignan, L., Mane, L., Weaver, D. F. Yip, K. W., Liu, F-F., Reed, M. A. Development of small molecule inhibitors of ECM collagen secretion.  RSC Medical Chemistry. 2025 October 14. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5MD00284B.
2. Shabanzadeh AP, Ringuette D, Syonov M, Wu Q, Tassew NG, Mun EK, Meek A, Lively S, Suntharalingham SE, Mojica M, Olijnyk L, Qiang B, Foltz W, Reed M, Moya I, Brown C, Feng J, Qin X, Akula PS, Wälchli T, Carlen PL, Alcaide-Leon P, Monnier PP. Inhibition of proprotein convertase SKI-1 prevents blood vessel alteration following stroke. Nat Cardiovasc Res. 2025 Aug 26. doi: 10.1038/s44161-025-00691-5. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40858841
3. Zipinotti dos Santos a. D, Elbaz M, Branchard E, Schormann W, Brown C.E, Meek A R, Njar V. C.O,. Hamilton R J, Reed M A, Andrews D W, Penn L Z. Sterol-like drugs potentiate statin-triggered prostate cancer cell death by inhibiting SREBP2 nuclear translocation Biomed Pharmacother 177, 2024 June. doi:116934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116934. Co-author.
4. Sadek M, Stover KR, Liu X, Reed MA, Weaver DF, Reid AY. IDO-1 inhibition improves outcome after fluid percussion injury in adult male rats. J Neurosci Res. 2024 May;102(5):e25338. doi: 10.1002/jnr.25338. PMID: 38706427. Co-author.
5. Golzari-Sorkheh, Weaver DF, Reed MA. COVID-19 as a Risk Factor for Alzheimer’s Disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2023, 91(1):1-23. PMID: 36314211. Senior Responsible Author.
6. C. Frank Lee, C. E. Brown, A. J. Nielsen, C. Kim, I. Livne-Bar, P. J. Parsons, C. Boldron, F. Autelitano, D. F. Weaver, J. M. Sivak, M. A. Reed. A Stereocontrolled Total Synthesis of Lipoxin B4 and its Biological Activity as a Pro-Resolving Lipid Mediator of Neuroinflammation. Chem. Eur. J. 2022, 28, e202200360. PMID: 35491534. Senior Responsible Author.