About Me

Leanne Bedard specializes in drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics and mechanistic toxicology. She has a multidisciplinary background in Chemistry and Toxicology, as well as drug discovery and early development experience in several therapeutic areas including respiratory diseases, inflammatory diseases, infectious diseases, pain and oncology. Leanne is a board-certified toxicologist (DABT) and is also certified in Regulatory Affairs (RAC).

Leanne completed her undergraduate and Master’s degree studies in Chemistry at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. For her MSc thesis research, she worked under the supervision of the world-renowned free radical chemist Dr. Keith U. Ingold. She investigated the chemical kinetics of free-radical initiated human low-density lipoprotein oxidation and the pro-oxidant activity of vitamin E, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Leanne then pursued her PhD in Toxicology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, under the supervision of Dr. Thomas E. Massey. Her research focused on the mechanisms of chemically-induced lung cancer, particularly those initiated by the mycotoxin Aflatoxin B1. She also characterized the involvement of biotransformation enzymes in the bioactivation of the tobacco-specific nitrosamine, NNK, in human lung. Leanne’s research led to first-authored publications in high impact journals including Cancer Research and Chemical Research in Toxicology. She is also the first author of an invited mini-review about Aflatoxin B1 carcinogenicity.