University of Alberta professor Dr. David Wishart has been awarded a 2026 NSERC Synergy Award for his collaboration to create one of the world’s most essential resources for drug discovery and pharmaceutical research.
Wishart, a Distinguished University Professor in the Faculty of Science, is a leader in the field of metabolomics — the study of small molecules involved in the chemical reactions of metabolism. He led teams that developed the first automated metabolomics tests and the world’s largest database of human metabolites, and he founded The Metabolomics Innovation Centre, Canada’s hub for metabolomics research.
The Synergy Award recognizes Wishart’s work with Edmonton-based OMx Personal Health Analytics to turn an academic research project into DrugBank, a digital platform that connects detailed information on drugs, their biological targets, metabolism, interactions and therapeutic applications.
Recognizing that critical pharmaceutical knowledge was scattered across thousands of publications and databases, Wishart and OMx combined their expertise to make DrugBank comprehensive and accessible for researchers, clinicians and industry.
DrugBank now serves millions of users annually and is used by universities, hospitals, regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies worldwide to help accelerate pharmaceutical innovation and improve the safety and effectiveness of patient care.
"On behalf of the University of Alberta research community, I congratulate Dr. David Wishart on receiving the 2026 NSERC Synergy Award for Innovation,” says Dr. Aminah Robinson Fayek, U of A vice-president of research. “This national accolade recognizes his long-standing collaboration with DrugBank, bridging scientific research and industrial innovation to transform a university spinoff into a global biotech leader that benefits health care worldwide.”
Robinson Fayek notes that the Synergy Award is the third consecutive NSERC prize Wishart has received in three years. Last year he was awarded the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal, Canada’s top award for science and engineering, with a research prize of $1 million over five years.
In 2024, Wishart and collaborator Dr. Russ Greiner in the Department of Computing Science won the Brockhouse Prize for Interdisciplinary Research for their groundbreaking work integrating machine learning and chemistry.
The Synergy Awards for Innovation are given out each year by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to honour outstanding research and development collaborations between Canadian post-secondary institutions and partner organizations.
—with files from Michael Brown