Principal Investigator
B.Sc., Biological Sciences (Simon Fraser University)
Ph.D., Experimental Pathology (University of British Columbia)
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Molecular and Experimental Medicine (Scripps Research Institute)
Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC
Executive Director, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI)
Associate Dean, Research – VCHRI, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Associate Director, BC Professional Firefighters’ Burn and Wound Healing Research Laboratory, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, UBC
Principal Investigator, UBC ICORD
Principal Investigator, UBC Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul’s Hospital
Associate Member, Department of Surgery, UBC
Affiliated Member, CIHR Skin Research Training Centre, UBC
Adjunct Professor, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, viDA Therapeutics Inc.
Research Interests
Aging; Cardiovascular; dermatology; Drug discovery; Epithelial dysfunction; extracellular matrix; Granzymes; inflammation; proteases; Wound healingOver the past 20 years, Dr. Granville’s research program has focused on identifying mechanisms that underlie tissue injury and therapeutic targets that can be exploited to reduce injury and/or promote healing. His research is presently centered on how aging and immobility affect tissue injury, inflammation, and repair in different types of tissues. Dr. Granville’s research team is investigating a family of immune cell-secreted proteases known as granzymes (granule-secreted enzymes) and their role in aging and chronic inflammation. Dr. Granville identified that granzymes are elevated and contribute to the pathogenesis of conditions associated with impaired healing and inflammation, including skin injuries, autoimmune skin diseases, and cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. In order to study granzymes in a diverse set of indications, Dr. Granville collaborates with a network of expert clinical and scientific collaborators. Dr. Granville is currently translating his discoveries into the development and commercialization of novel, first-in-class therapeutics.
At ICORD, Dr. Granville’s team is expanding on their discoveries in tissue injury, inflammation, and repair, and applying their expertise to spinal cord injury, pressure injury, dermatological conditions, and aging-related disorders. Dr. Granville also continues to lead an established research program examining the role of granzymes in cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. Dr. Granville’s team is currently one of few groups in the world studying granzyme K in inflammation and disease.
Major Findings:
In his early career (1994-2001), he worked at QLT Inc. (Vancouver, BC), where his research supported the development and approval of Visudyne® as the first treatment for age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. In 1999, Visudyne® was approved by the FDA, resulting in the largest ophthalmic product release in history at the time. Dr. Granville’s research is referred to on the drug label for Visudyne® and he is listed as a primary inventor on patents pertaining to his work at QLT. In 2001, Dr. Granville relocated to the Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA), where he identified a novel therapeutic approach for attenuating cardiac ischemia and reperfusion injury. Dr. Granville is a primary inventor on patents pertaining to the latter discoveries that led to the formation of Radical Therapeutix Inc (San Diego, CA). Dr. Granville was recruited back to UBC in 2003 as a Canada Research Chair and Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar.
At UBC, Dr. Granville’s laboratory has been a significant contributor to challenging the existing dogma that granzymes (granule-secreted enzymes) function solely as an intracellular mediator of lymphocyte-induced targeted cell death. His team was first to demonstrate a novel extracellular role for granzyme B in a disease model. Dr. Granville’s group has since discovered pathogenic roles for granzyme B in aging, chronic inflammation, tissue injury, and repair. In particular, discoveries pertaining to granzyme B in skin frailty, wound healing, and blistering have led to the formation of viDA Therapeutics. Together with viDA, the UBC Centre for Drug Research and Development (now adMare Bioinnovations), and other clinical specialists, Dr. Granville is developing and testing novel first-in-class therapeutics for both autoimmune and chronic inflammatory conditions of the skin, with a goal of entering the clinic by 2021. Dr. Granville’s research has resulted in the filing of 44 patents, of which all are owned by UBC and/or licensed to industry, and all include his trainees as co-inventors. He is also the Scientific Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of the UBC spin-off company, viDA Therapeutics, Inc.
Notable Publications:
- Aubert A, Jung, K, Hiroyasu S, Pardo J, Rosen A, Granville DJ. Granzymes in Injury, Inflammation and Rheumatic Diseases. Nature Rev. Rhematol. (Invited review) 2024, 20(6):361-376. doi: 10.1038/s41584-024-01109-5
- Richardson KC, Matsubara JA, Jung K, Choy JC, Granville DJ. Unravelling the Roles of Granzymes in Aging and Age-Related Diseases. Trends Mol. Med. (Invited Review) 2024, S1471-4914(24)00204-1. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2024.07.010. SA
- Aubert A, Goeres J, Richardson KC, Nierves L, Liu A, Kao M, Jung K, Nabai L, Orend G, Krawetz R, Lange PF, Younger A, Chan J, Granville DJ. Granzyme B Cleaves Tenascin-C to Release its C Terminal Domain in Rheumatoid Arthritis. JCI Insight. 2024 (In press).
- Aubert A, Goeres J, Liu A, Kao M, Jung K, Hinz B, Crawford RI, Granville DJ. Granzyme B potentiates LTBP1-dependent TGFb activation in keloids and hypertrophic scars. Frontiers Immunol. 2025.
- Richardson K, Aubert A, Turner C, Nabai L, Hiroyasu S, Pawluk MA, Cederberg R, Zhao H, Jung K, Burleigh A, Crawford RI, Granville DJ. Granzyme K mediates IL-23 Inflammation and Keratinocyte Proliferation in Psoriasis. Immunol. 2024 doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.139812
- Hiroyasu S, Zeglinski MR, Zhao H, Pawluk MA, Turner CT, Kasprick A, Tateishi C, Nishie W, Burleigh A, Lennox PA, Van Laeken N, Carr NJ, Peterson F, Crawford RI, Shimizu H, Tsuruta D, Ludwig RJ, Granville DJ. Granzyme B Inhibition Reduces Disease Severity in Autoimmune Blistering Diseases. Nature Comm. In press.
- Turner CT, Zeglinski MR, Richardson KC, Santacruz S, Hiroyasu S, Wang C, Zhao H, Shen Y, Sehmi R, Lima H, Gauvreau GM, Granville DJ. Granzyme B Contributes to Barrier Dysfunction in Oxazolone-Induced Skin Inflammation through E-Cadherin and FLG Cleavage. J Invest Dermatol. 2020 Jun 3:S0022-202X(20)31660-2.
- Turner CT, Zeglinski MR, Richardson KC, Zhao H, Shen Y, Papp A, Bird PI, Granville DJ. Granzyme K expressed by classically activated macrophages contributes to inflammation and impaired remodeling. Invest. Dermatol. 2019: 139(4):930-939.
- Turner CT, Lim D, Granville DJ. Granzyme B in Skin Inflammation and Disease. Matrix Biol. 2019 75-76:126-140.
- Parkinson LG, Toro A, Brown K, Tebbutt SJ, Granville DJ. Granzyme B mediates both direct and indirect cleavage of extracellular matrix in skin after chronic low-dose ultra-violet light irradiation. Aging Cell.2015: 14(1): 67-77.
- Marchant D, Bellac C, Moraes TJ, Wadsworth S, Dufour A, Butler GS, Bilawchuk L, Hendry R, Robertson G, Cheung C, Ng J, Ang L, Luo Z, Heilbron K, Norris M, Duan W, Bucyk, Karpov A, Devel L, Georgiadis D, Hegele RG, Luo H, Granville DJ, Dive V, McManus BM, Overall CM. A new transcriptional role of moonlighting MMP12 in antiviral immunity. Nature Med. 2014: 20(5):493-502.
Techniques Employed and Fields of Study in the Lab:
- Molecular biology
- Biochemistry
- Histology
- Immunohistochemistry
- Microscopy
- Primary cell culture
- Wound healing assays
- Migration assays
- Epithelial barrier function
- Endothelial permeability
- Apoptosis
- Extracellular matrix remodeling
- Inflammation
- Vascular function
- Disease modelling (aneurysm, atherosclerosis, ischemia/reperfusion, vascular leakage, airway inflammation, acute/chronic wound healing, burn, frostbite, fibrosis, scarring, pressure injury, autoimmune skin diseases)
- Preclinical validation
- Drug discovery
Affiliations with Organizations:
- BC Professional Firefighters’ Burn and Wound Healing Research Laboratory
- adMare Bioinnovations (formerly Centre for Drug Research and Development), UBC
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, UBC
- Departments of Pathology and Surgery, UBC
- viDA Therapeutics, Inc.
Awards:
Some of Dr. Granville’s major awards and accomplishments include:
- Award of Excellence in Research in Aging, CIHR (July 2022)
- Tier II Canada Research Chair
- Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar
- Young Investigator Award, Canadian Society of Transplantation
- Wilbert J. Keon Award for Basic Science Finalist
- Canada Top 40 Under 40 Award
- Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, University of British Columbia
- American Heart Association – Louis N and Arnold M Katz Basic Science Research Prize Finalist
- Outstanding Alumni Award for Academic Achievement, Simon Fraser University
- Canadian Association of Pathologists Junior Scientist Award
- Business in Vancouver Forty Under 40 Award
- Fellow of the American Heart Association
- Scholar of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada
Current Lab Members:
| Undergraduate Co-op Students | PhD Students | Medical Residents | Postdoctoral Fellows | Research Staff | Administrative Staff |
| Amy Liu | Katlyn Richardson | Dr. Matthew Carr | Dr. Daniel Yoo | Hongyan Zhao | Dr. Karen Jung |
| Martin Kao | Michael Lane | Dr. Alexandre Aubert | Tatjana Ponomarev | ||
| Dr. Layla Nabai | Anna Prudova | ||||
| Dr. Nabangsu Das | |||||
| Dr. Claudia Dietrich | |||||
| Dr. Daniele Ferrari |
Trainee Awards:
| Year | Trainee | Award |
| 2024 | Claudia Dietrich | Top Oral Science Presentation, UBC Plastic Surgery Research Day |
| Alexandre Aubert |
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| Katlyn Richardson | President’s Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award | |
| 2023-2024 | Michael Lane | CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s Award |
| 2023 | Alexandre Aubert |
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| Daniel Yoo | First Place, Oral Presentation, UBC Postdoctoral Fellow Research Day | |
| Layla Nabai | First Place – Poster Presentation – Postdoctoral Fellows, UBC Department of Pathology | |
| Michael Lane |
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| 2022 | Nafise Amiri |
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| Megan Pawluk |
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| Katlyn Richardson |
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| Alexandre Aubert | Social Justice Award – Skunkworks: Hacking Wounds for Mend and Tend Project (ongoing), Providence Health Care and St. Paul’s Foundation | |
| Derek Wu | Summer Student Award, UBC Faculty of Medicine | |
| 2021 | Megan Pawluk |
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| Layla Nabai |
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| Lara Gouveia | MSFHR Research Trainee Award | |
| Katlyn Richardson |
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| 2020-2024 | Katlyn Richardson | 4-Year Fellowship for PhD Students |
| 2020-2023 | Katlyn Richardson | Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral, CIHR |
| 2020 | Leilynaz Malekafzali | Faculty of Medicine Summer Student Award (Declined due to Covid-19-related challenges), UBC Faculty of Medicine |
| Sho Hiroyasu | CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship (CIHR) | |
| Katlyn Richardson |
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| Chris Turner |
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| 2019 | Chris Turner |
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| Matthew Zeglinski |
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| Sho Hiroyasu |
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| Katlyn Richardson |
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| 2018 | Chris Turner |
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| Keerit Tauh |
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| Keir Martyn | Top Undergraduate Student Poster Presentation Award at UBC Pathology Day | |
| Sho Hiroyasu | Mitacs Postdoctoral Fellowship (Accelerate) with matching funds from RHI | |
| Matthew Zeglinski |
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| Steve Shen |
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| Valerio Russo |
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| Katlyn Richardson |
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| Cameron Oram | Travel Award (ICORD) | |
| Stephanie Santacruz | Travel Award (ICORD) | |
| 2017 | Cameron Oram | Travel Award (ICORD) |
| Valerio Russo |
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| Stephanie Santacruz | Travel Award (ICORD) | |
| Steve Shen |
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| Keerit Tauh |
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| Chris Turner |
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| Matthew Zeglinski |
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| 2016 | Valerio Russo | IMPACT Award (CIHR) |
| Steve Shen |
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| Stephanie Santacruz | Best Poster Award (ICORD AGM) | |
| Chris Turner | IMPACT Award (CIHR) | |
| 2015 | Yulia Merkolova | Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship (CIHR) |
| Steve Shen | Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Travel Award (American Heart Association) | |
| 2014 | Paul Hanson | Top Poster Award (American Society for Investigative Pathology) |
| Paul Hiebert | Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship (CIHR) | |
| Leigh Parkinson | Top Poster Award (American Society for Investigative Pathology) | |
| 2013 | Alon Hendel | Top Poster Award (ImmunoVancouver) |
| Ivy Hsu |
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| 2012 | Lisa Ang |
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| Alon Hendel | Top Poster Award (American Society for Matrix Biology) | |
| Paul Hiebert | Top Graduate Student Award (James Hogg Research Centre) | |
| Ivy Hsu | Skin Research Training Centre Scholar Award (CIHR) | |
| 2010 | Lisa Ang |
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| Wendy Boivin |
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| Dawn Cooper |
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| Alon Hendel |
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| Paul Hiebert |
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| 2009 | Lisa Ang |
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| Alon Hendel |
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| Paul Hiebert |
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| Arwen Hunter | Postdoctoral Fellowship (Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada) | |
| Sarah Williams |
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Current Opportunities in the Lab:
Although his laboratory is quite full at the moment, Dr. Granville is always on the lookout for talented, energetic and bright graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to join his team if funding is available. Please contact Dr. Granville with inquiries.
Recent publications
- Yoo, HS et al.. 2025. Granzyme B contributes to subretinal fibrosis in neovascular age-related macular degeneration by modulating inflammation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition.. J Neuroinflammation. doi: 10.1186/s12974-025-03619-9.
- Hiroyasu, A, Amatya, B, Tsuruta, D, Granville, DJ, Hiroyasu, S. 2025. Granzyme K contributes to acute itch in psoriasis.. J Dermatol Sci. doi: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2025.08.003.
- Aubert, A et al.. 2026. Granzyme B Mediates Syndecan-1 (CD138) Shedding in Psoriatic Keratinocytes.. J Invest Dermatol. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2025.06.1592.
- Lane, M et al.. 2025. Extracellular Granzyme B Mediates the Degradation of Collagen XVII in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.. J Invest Dermatol. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2025.02.140.
- Aubert, A et al.. 2024. Potential implications of granzyme B in keloids and hypertrophic scars through extracellular matrix remodeling and latent TGF-β activation.. Front Immunol. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1484462.
