More than 160,000 babies have taken their first breaths with help from a discovery made right here in London.
London biochemist, Dr. Fred Possmayer, has been named one of six 2027 inductees into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, recognized as a biochemist champion for neonatal care. The honour is reserved for Canadians whose work has significantly advanced human health. Dr. Possmayer will join the Hall’s 173 Laureates at a ceremony in Montréal on April 2, 2027.
It started in a London NICU
Babies born too early often haven’t yet made enough surfactant, a natural substance that keeps the tiny air sacs in their lungs from collapsing. Without it, breathing is exhausting work, and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) has long been one of the leading causes of death in premature infants.
Dr. Possmayer and his team set out to give these babies a temporary supply until their own lungs caught up. They used surfactant extracted from cow lungs. In 1982, in a London Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Dr. Victor Han, then a young paediatrician in training and now former Director of Children’s Health Research Institute (CHRI), gave it to a human infant for the first time. That early-morning moment helped change the standard of care for premature babies around the world.
The treatment became known as bovine lipid extract surfactant, or BLES. Dr. Possmayer’s lab developed a patented process to produce it sterile and at scale, so it could reach NICUs wherever it was needed. BLES has since been given to more than 160,000 infants in Canada and around the world. NICU teams have a nickname for it, “BLESS,” because its effect on fragile babies can seem almost miraculous.
Keeping BLES within reach
Dr. Possmayer’s generosity is part of his legacy. When he stepped back from BLES Biochemicals in 1995 to return to the lab, he did so on one condition: that BLES keep reaching NICUs at the lowest possible price. Today, it is still made right here in London and sent to hospitals around the world, including in many developing nations.
“He is the most unassuming, the most humble,” Dr. Han has said, “and would never take full credit for all of his achievements.”
Still breaking ground
Now a Professor Emeritus at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and a researcher at Children’s Health Research Institute, Dr. Possmayer is exploring how BLES might help patients with other lung diseases. He continues to mentor the next generation of researchers.
The Hall of Fame honour follows his 2024 appointment to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest civilian honour. It also follows earlier national recognition naming BLES among the top achievements in Canadian health research.
Dr. Possmayer’s story shows what’s possible when research is supported: a discovery in a London lab can reach the bedside of the most vulnerable patients around the world. Discoveries like this are still taking shape at CHRI today, and donors help make them possible.
“Dr. Possmayer’s pioneering work transformed the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome and set a new standard of care for premature babies,” says Scott Fortnum, President & CEO of Children’s Health Foundation.
"His legacy is measured in lives saved, families made whole, and futures made possible. We’re especially proud that this landmark discovery was advanced right here in London, and just as remarkable as the science is the humanity with which he has shared it.”
On behalf of the families, care teams and donors of the Children’s Health Foundation community: congratulations, Dr. Possmayer, and thank you.
Shannon Wise
swise@childhealth.ca
