Please join us in welcoming Dr. George Painter, Executive Director of the Emory Institute for Drug Development at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, who will be presenting a talk on “Small Molecule COVID Antivirals: New Game Changing Treatments for COVID-19”. This seminar will discuss the discovery and development of two successful COVID-19 orally available treatments, molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir. Dr. Painter will also talk about how students and young polymer chemists can get involved in the exciting field of pharmacological research.

Presenter Bio

George Painter, Ph.D., is the George R. Painter III distinguished professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology at Emory University School of Medicine, CEO of Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE), and Executive Director of the Emory Institute for Drug Development where most recently he led the discovery and development of molnupiravir. Dr. Painter has decades of experience in the discovery and development of pharmaceutical agents for the biotechnology and global pharmaceutical sectors. Over the last 30 years, he has played a major role in the discovery, development, and implementation of modern antiviral therapy. Before coming to Emory in 2012, Dr. Painter cofounded and led the biotechnology company Chimerix, Inc. During his tenure there, he led the development of the drug Tembexa, which is in the Strategic National Stockpile for the treatment of smallpox in the event of a bioterrorist attack. Before Chimerix, he was a founding member of the management team of Triangle, Inc., where he led the development of the now widely used HIV drug, Emtriva. Prior to entering the biotech sector, Dr. Painter held senior management positions in large pharmaceutical companies including Burroughs Wellcome Co and what is now GlaxoSmithKline, where he led the discovery, development and commercialization of antiviral agents to treat HIV and Hepatitis B. He holds more than 250 patents, many of which have led to approved, commercially available drugs or combinations of drugs for the treatment of HIV, Hepatitis B, smallpox and coronavirus infections. He has published more than 130 peer-reviewed papers. Dr. Painter earned his BS in Chemistry, MS in Physical Organic Chemistry, and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at Emory. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology. He has received the Gertrude B Elion Lifetime Achievement Award in Antiviral Research from the International Society for Antiviral Research and is a member of the National Academy of Inventors.

Seminar Information

Seminar will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, May 10th, 2023, at 6:00 PM EDT. Please use the following link to access the seminar: https://american-chemical-society.zoom.com/j/88642831169