Dr. Albert D. Friesen

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Albert D. Friesen is a founder and the CEO of CanAm Bioresearch. He received his Ph.D. in protein chemistry from the University of Manitoba, and his experience in developing a variety of early-stage biotech companies has been fundamental to CanAm’s success. Dr. Friesen’s vision guides CanAm’s focus of assisting small molecule start-up companies in their experience and infrastructure, getting them started with minimal financial resources and rapid medicinal chemistry. Dr. Friesen seeks to assist other companies in accelerating drug discovery, turning ideas into leads, to pre-clinical, and through clinical development.   

He is also the founder of Medicure Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company and currently serves as CEO and Board Chair. Dr. Friesen has been instrumental in the founding, start up and development of several life science companies, including ABI Biotechnology (which became Apotex Fermentation), Canada's first profitable biotech company, and the Winnipeg Rh Institute, where he led the development of Canada's first biotech product, WinRho. He has also played a key role in a number of regional and national organizations, including a founder and first Board of Director Chair of the Industrial Biotechnology Association of Canada (now BIOTECanada).