Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Emory's Commitment to Anti-Infective Research and Training

Emory’s commitment to drug discovery is emphasized by the recent formation of Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory, LLC (DRIVE), which is a not-for-profit company separate from, but wholly owned by Emory.  The purpose of DRIVE is to expand the capabilities of traditional academic drug research by combining the expertise of Emory scientists with a development, business and management team of industry leaders. Through an initial ten million dollar commitment from Emory, DRIVE will provide the financial, business, project management and regulatory expertise to effectively move drugs through lead optimization and pre-clinical testing into proof-of-concept clinical trials. 

An additional important recent development at Emory with respect to drug discovery and infectious diseases is in the area of international collaboration.  Thus, the Queensland Emory Development (QED) Alliance, which includes Emory University, the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) and the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia, was established and this collaboration will significantly help ARTDTP perform its mission of training graduate students. The QED Alliance will identify collaborative research opportunities in infectious diseases aimed at advancing drug discoveries to the marketplace.  Moreover, an agreement to facilitate an academic exchange program for faculty and students will enrich our overall training environment and provide unique opportunities for our graduate student trainees as they pursue their studies in antimicrobial resistance and therapeutic drug discovery. Taken together, Emory University provides a rich intellectual environment for drug discovery and is in a unique position to train graduate students in anti-infective research which is essential for the nation’s response to the increasing health emergency imposed by drug-resistant pathogens.