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“Professor Leigh Revers … is emerging as an eloquent new voice on the side of meritocracy and the tradition of truth.”
—Jordan B. Peterson
My escape from the identitarians

My escape from the identitarians

The creamy blossom and verdant lawns of a manicured cottage in the Gloucestershire countryside will serve as a potent salve after two years’ pillorying by the identitarian Gestapo.

Welcome · Bienvenue · Willkommen · Bienvenidos

Leigh Revers
MBiotech IMI
Lavender Silver
Honeydew Silver
Strawberry Cantaloupe
Click on the palette above to learn more about the courses running this year.

Welcome to the home page for Prof. Leigh Revers, Associate Professor at the Institute for Manage­ment & Innov­ation at the Univers­ity of Toronto Mississauga.

Here you will find everything you need, whether you are a student at UofT currently enrolled in one of my courses, or whether you just want to learn more about what I teach. You’ll also find resources supporting other, related courses that I endorse, instructed by eminent colleagues of mine.

New Courses

My all-new course, CHM442H5S: Strategy & Control in Modern Drug Synthesis, launches for the first time in January 2024.
Rain, Steam & Speed

Faculty Toolbox

A dedicated go-to resource page for my fellow course instructors, packed with useful teaching and professional tools.
The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up, 1838, Joseph Mallord William Turner, The National Gallery, London.

Meet my colleagues

Duncan Jones

Duncan Jones
Adjunct Professor, IMI

Mark Currie

Mark Currie
Assistant Professor, Biology

Jayson Parker

Jayson Parker ♙ ♟︎
Associate Professor, Biology

Scott Prosser

Scott Prosser
Distinguished Professor, Chemical & Physical Sciences

Learn about my courses

Courses that I currently teach at the University of Toronto are listed below with brief descriptions. In each case, the most recent course outlines are available for downloading in PDF format by clicking on the corresponding colour-coded chevrons. When a course is running, live course calendars become available and may be subscribed to via both Apple Calendar and Google Calendar servers.

Google CalendariCalCourse calendars for active classes compatible with Apple and Google Calendars can be down­loaded by clicking these icons.
How?
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Not receiving calendar invites you are expecting? Check here for some useful tips.
Click on the oak leaf to access Quercus. ››

Quercus

Black Knight

BLACK KNIGHT

BTC1860H

Generations of Advanced Medicine: Biologics in Medicine (GAMBiT)

Graduate { Elective }

Lavender

Session: Winter
Instructors: Leigh Revers & Duncan Jones
Credits: 0·5
Open To: U of T Graduate Students, with priority given to the following programs—

MBiotech Year 2 BioPh Stream
Master of Management of Innovation
Immunology
Pharmacy
Pharmacology & Toxicology

1860

Course Description
In this course, we focus exclusively on the dominant role of biologic therapies in modern medicine. In 2020, six of the top 10 drugs by revenue were molecules of biologic origin, namely those manufactured primarily by biosynthetic rather than chemical means, with sales of the top selling therapy, the anti-TNFα monoclonal antibody adalimumab, falling just shy of the US$20 billion mark. The lucrative preeminence of biologics is set to continue, bolstered by the introduction of innovative molecular delivery strategies, such as antibody-targeted conjugates, fragments and fusions, as well as by the robust staying power of market leaders. The latter phenomenon is an inevitable consequence of the higher-than-usual regulatory hurdles faced by conventional generic manufacturers seeking to make biosimilars: intended copies of off-patent biologics that, having undergone a strict comparability exercise, are approved by regulatory agencies such as the EMA and the FDA.

This course will survey this changing landscape within an historical framework and will highlight critical scientific and process parameters unique to biologics, that set them apart from conventional small-molecule medicines, including their molecular architecture and mechanisms of action, manufacturing considerations, analytical and functional lot release assays and clinical trial design. We will explore some of the pitfalls by examining a roster of clinical case studies. The capacity of payers to afford these increasingly high-cost therapies in the face of current economic trends will be discussed.

The broad goals of the course are as follows—

A detailed understanding of the complexities associated with biologic drugs;

A broad familiarity with biologics manufacturing and its inherent variability;

A critical understanding of the aspects of biosimilarity; and

A familiarity with the clinical implic­ations emerging from the use of biologics.

Black Bishop

BLACK BISHOP

BTC2110H

Topics in Bio­tech­­nology: Structural Biology in Drug Develop­­­ment & Bio­tech­­nology

Graduate { Elective }

Tungsten

Session: Winter
Instructor: Mark Currie
Credits: 0·5
Open To: UofT Graduate Students, with priority given to the following programs—

MBiotech Year 2 BioPh Stream
Chemistry
Biochemistry
Pharmacology & Toxicology
Medical Biophysics

Course Description
Biological, disease, and drug mechanisms are all determined by the 3-dimensional arrangement of atoms within biological macromolecules. Therefore, knowledge of molecular structure is fundamental to protein engineering and the develop­ment of new therapeutics and vaccines. This course will cover the application of struc­tural biology methods to drug develop­ment and biotech­nology. Students will be intro­duced to the modern tools of protein structure determin­ation including cryo-electron micro­scopy, X-ray crystallo­graphy and NMR through lectures and group activities. Lectures will focus on theory, techniques, data collection, analysis, and interpretation, model building and valid­ation, and the advant­ages and limitations of each method. The applications of these methods to the pharmaceutical and bio­tech­nology industries including protein engineering, target selection and drug­ability, lead identification and optimis­ation, rational drug design and drug mechanism of action will be explored through group presentations, case studies and discuss­ions.

White Queen

WHITE QUEEN

IMI2003HS · IMI2003HY

Project Manage­ment: Practice & Tools

Graduate { Elective }

Silver

Session: Winter (IMI2003HS) & Summer (IMI2003HY)
Instructor: Duncan Jones
Credits: 0·5

2003
2003 Jørn Utzon’s only artwork for the Sydney Opera House, the building he designed, is imbued with reconciliation and artistic, cultural and technical excellence.

Course Description

A project involves planning and completing a series of tasks in order to achieve a desired outcome. Each project is a unique venture, with a beginning and an end. Whether at work or in your personal life, we have all undertaken projects. The effective management of a project is thus a key skill for its successful delivery, especially on time and on budget. The application of formal processes, tools, knowledge and experience can improve project success rates, especially for projects that are larger, more complex, costly, risky and in some cases critical.

Through a series of case studies and class discussions, this new elective explores this practice of project management across a range of industries. Various supporting tools and techniques will also be introduced. Through direct involvement in a project of choice, an opportunity is provided to further develop insights into the various technical and collaborative issues that can negatively impact a project as well as how to overcome them, mitigate them and prevent them in the future.

Click here for a short video introduction IMI2003H
Black King

BLACK KING

IMI3001H

Biocommercialisation I: Analysis of Technology Driven Innovation

Graduate { Elective }

Silver

Session: Fall
Instructors: Duncan Jones & Tim Lee
Credits: 0·5

    Course Description
    In this course through a series of lectures and case discussions, students learn about the formation, financing, and manage­ment of early-stage ventures especially as it relates to the (bio)­tech­nology and associated medical device space. Topics include opportunity identifi­cation and assessment, preclinical and clinical phases, regulatory procedures and pathways, legal issues including patents and venture finance. Students will each be required to select a young, publicly-traded company in which to complete an in-depth analysis, presentation and report.

    Recommended prep­aration for this course: These three essays by Paul Graham.

    BTC1700H

    Molecular Biology Laboratory

    Graduate { Year 1 }

    Honeydew

    Session: Summer
    Instructor:
    Leigh Revers
    Credits:
    0·5

    MBiotech Classic
    Formerly Genetics & Molecular Biology Laboratory. Mantra ‘This course provides hands-on experience in practical applic­ations of a major area in biotech­nology, and is an important breadth component.’

    Course Description:
    This laboratory-based course introduces fundamental experimental techniques commonly used in biomedical research and provides ‘hands-on’ experience working with nucleic acids and proteins over an intensive six-week schedule. Students receive a practical overview of key protocols over the first week and are provided with same-day, interactive technical demonstrations in a fully equipped ‘wet’ laboratory. This is followed by an extended research assignment in which students work in teams towards expressing and isolating a biomedically relevant, recombinant protein. Teams must design an appropriate research strategy, conduct experiments, collect and analyse data and submit their product with a final report to meet a tight deadline. The course concludes with a final presentation seminar day.

    BTC1720H

    Biomater­ials & Protein Chemi­stry Labor­atory

    Graduate { Year 1 }

    Strawberry

    Session: Summer
    Instructor: Leigh Revers
    Credits: 0·5
    Co-Requisites: Midnight

    Course Description:
    As a companion course to BTC1710H, this laboratory course is intended to provide students with hands-on experience with some concepts in protein and materials chemistry. The experience will focus on the use of advanced equipment and techniques and will include experiments involving protein PEGylation, nano­particles in drug delivery, and biodiesel synthesis, as well as bioinformatics. This is an intensive four-week course, operating five days a week. Students will complete these projects and experiments in teams. A significant component of this course involves a science-intensive, business assessment in which the students have an opportunity to apply what they have learned.

    CHM442H5S

    Strategy & Control in Mod­ern Drug Synthesis

    Undergrad­uate { Year 4 }

    Cantaloupe

    Session: Winter
    Instructor: Leigh Revers
    Credits: 0·5
    Pre-Requisites: CHM341H5 or CHM345H5

    CHM442H5S

    Course Description:
    I have assembled a brand new course, CHM442H5S: Strategy & Control in Modern Drug Synthesis, endorsed by and developed in consultation with Prof. Patrick Gunning. This course brings into focus aspects of strategy and control for designing the syntheses of complex drug molecules that are blockbusters for the pharmaceutical industry.

    Not only will you learn about 21st Century developments in organic synthesis, this course will serve as an outstanding and invaluable differentiator for anyone applying for medical school, or for higher levels of study as a research graduate in groups such as The Gunning Group, or in professional programs, such as the Master of Biotechnology Program (MBiotech).

    To enrol, check your Degree Explorer or contact Eliza Escandar. I hope you will consider this new course offering as a part of your undergraduate journey!

    Learn about graduate elective courses at IMI

    Under the auspices of the Institute of Management & Innovation (IMI), and in collaboration with colleagues hailing from other University departments, and from the private sector, I am one of IMI’s tenured Faculty that offers students enrolled in the IMI portfolio of professional graduate programs, and across UofT, a rich vein of modern and relevant electives from which to choose when completing their degree require­ments. Whatever courses you select to take, all of these course are designed to offer advanced learning opportunities at the interface of traditional disciplines, such as Business, Data Science and the Life Sciences, and serve as capstone experiences for UofT grad­uates as they launch their careers.

    One of the goals of the electives program at IMI is to create learning environments for students across the different profess­ional graduate programs. The following table illustrates which elective offerings are automatically available to you, depend­ing on your particular program and or home department. Where a pawn (♟) is shown, please enquire with your home department.

    How to Enrol

    Graduate students who wish to enroll in any of the courses on this page must—

    1 Complete a Course Add/Drop Form,
    2 Have the completed form authorised by the Graduate Coordinator of your home department, and
    3 Submit the signed form via email either to Julian Gaspini, MBiotech, julian.gaspini@utoronto.ca. (for BTC courses codes) or to Patrice Lee, IMI, patrice.lee@utoronto.ca (for IMI course codes).

    Students CANNOT enrol themselves directly on Acorn/ROSI.

    Learn how to subscribe to live course calendars

    iCal

    Option 1
    Apple Calendar on iPad & iPhone UPDATED

    1 In your iOS browser, open this page and tap-and-hold the desired Apple Calendar icon.
    2 Chrome users select Copy Link. Safari users scroll down and select Copy.
    3 Open the Calendar app in iOS.
    4 At the bottom of the screen, select Calendars and then choose Add Calendar followed by Add Subscription Calendar. Paste the copied link into the Subscription URL field and tap Subscribe.

    Calendars added in this manner will now appear in the Apple Calendar app on your iPhone or iPad.


    iCal

    Option 2
    Apple Calendar on macOS UPDATED

    1 On your Mac, using your browser, open this page and right-click on the desired Apple Calendar icon. Chrome users select Copy Link Address. Safari users select Copy Link.
    2 On your Mac, launch Apple’s Calendar app.
    3 From the File menu, select New Calendar Subscription…
    4 Paste the copied link into the Calendar URL field and click Subscribe.

    Calendars added in this manner will now appear in the Apple Calendar app on your Mac and can be synced to your mobile devices.


    Google Calendar

    Option 3
    Google Calendar on Desktop, iOS Device or Android

    1 On your Mac or PC, using your browser, open this page and right-click on the desired Google Calendar icon. Chrome users select Copy Link Address. Safari users select Copy Link.
    2 Open a new tab or window and log in to your Google account online.
    3 Click Calendar from the Google apps palette at the top right of the browser window.
    4 In the left-hand menu, click ‘+’ next to Other Calendars and choose From URL.
    5 Paste the copied link into the URL of calendar field and click Add calendar.

    Calendars added in this manner will now appear in the Google Calendar app on your mobile device.


    Google Calendar

    Option 4
    Microsoft Outlook on Desktop, iOS Device or Android

    Direct subscriptions to our calendars are currently not recommended. Subscribed calendars may be successfully added in the browser version of Outlook 365 by clicking Add Calendar on the calendar page, followed by Subscribe from web, but real-time synchronisation with Outlook in this manner has not proved reliable. Our fully tested work-around is as follows:

    1 Follow the steps in Option 3, above, and subscribe to all of the desired calendars in Google Calendar using your browser.
    2 Open a new browser window and log in to your UTmail account online.
    3 Click the Calendar icon from the pallet on the left (second icon down).
    4 Click Add Calendar in the calendar pane, followed by Add personal calendars, in the pop-up dialogue window.
    5 Click on Google to add synchronised calendars from your Google account.

    All of your Google calendars will now be displayed in Outlook 365 and in your Outlook app on your mobile device.