As posted at Emory | News Center July 24, 2013 Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory, LLC (DRIVE) appoints Chief Executive Officer George Painter, PhD, is new CEO of DRIVE and Director of the Emory Institute for Drug Development (EIDD) http://driveinnovations.org/ Media Contact: Holly Korschun, [email protected], 404-727-3990 ATLANTA—Emory University and Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory, LLC (DRIVE) today announced the appointment of George Painter, PhD, as chief executive officer of DRIVE and director of the Emory Institute for Drug Development (EIDD). Painter is a recognized authority on the development of antiviral drugs and brings 30 years of pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry experience to DRIVE. “George is the ideal leader for Emory’s new drug development company, DRIVE,” says Michael J. Mandl, vice president for finance at Emory University. “His vast experience will be critical in steering this innovative enterprise that will guide drug candidates more efficiently from discovery to the marketplace.” Painter has been a member of...Read More >
Flaviviruses, including dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV) and yellow fever virus (YFV), cause human disease on a global scale. Currently, there are no antiviral therapies for infection with these viruses or for other emerging members of the flavivirus family (Japanese Encephalitis, St. Louis Encephalitis and Tick-Borne Encephalitis for example). In Project 3, we will pursue a comprehensive strategy to develop broad spectrum antiviral drugs that may be effective against two or more flaviviruses. Key targets are DENV and WNV. Three unique steps/targets in flavivirus replication will be pursued: virus entry, 3’ stem-loop in the antigenome, and viral protease NS2B-NS3. Drug targets include both viral and host proteins. The experimental designs are supported by strong preliminary data including activity in established mouse models of infection. Extensive interactions with other Projects will be implemented to ensure that small molecule inhibitors will be developed from targeting through pre-IND studies. There is also a great potential that inhibitors from this project will...Read More >