IDRI Adds Viral Vaccine Development Expertise; Expands Leadership

SEATTLE, April 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- IDRI (Infectious Disease Research Institute) is expanding its expertise in the field of viral diseases with the addition of Dan Stinchcomb, Ph.D., who has more than 25 years of research and product development experience in the biotechnology industry focusing on the development of both human and animal vaccines. Stinchcomb will serve as Sr. Vice President for Vaccine Development and Viral Disease Programs at IDRI, joining the organization's leadership team.

"At a time when the Zika virus, as well as other viral diseases, are making headlines around the world, we must expand our efforts. Dan's expertise in these diseases and his success in the field of product development complements IDRI's work and increases our capacity in the field of viral diseases," said Steven G. Reed, Ph.D., IDRI President, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer. "His extensive experience in both human and animal vaccine development melds very well with our efforts, and we also look forward to having Dan join our leadership team to offer his insight."

In addition to leading vaccine and viral disease programs at IDRI, Stinchcomb will also play a key role in disease programs of the Global Health Vaccine Center of Innovation (GHVCI), which is headquartered at IDRI. The GHVCI represents an alliance of IDRI, Sanofi Pasteur and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, focused on accelerating the development of vaccines and associated technologies. GHVCI programs will target a wide range of global infectious diseases and ensure that these critical vaccines are accessible globally, especially to people in need within developing countries. Stinchcomb will take a leadership role in identifying new scientific and product opportunities to be pursued at IDRI, including within the GHVCI, in furtherance of its global health mission.   

"IDRI's mission of applying scientific innovation to impact global public health and the mission of the GHVCI to speed the development of vaccines at a lower cost resonate with my personal goals," said Stinchcomb. "I also am looking forward to contributing to developing the tools and technologies at IDRI to allow us to more rapidly respond to or even anticipate infectious disease threats and emerging pandemics. With IDRI's expertise in adjuvants, vaccine formulation, manufacturing and product translation and its cadre of scientists committed to public health, we are uniquely positioned to respond to the infectious disease challenges of the 21^st century."

Stinchcomb began his career in assistant and associate professor roles at Harvard and then moved to senior scientific leadership positions at Synergen Inc. and later Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals Inc., where he served as Director of Biology Research. He then moved into the field of veterinary products at Heska Corp., where he led all aspects of product research and development. In 2005, Stinchcomb co-founded and served as President and CEO of Inviragen Inc., which he transformed from a virtual start-up to a global clinical stage company with sites in Colorado, Wisconsin and Singapore and translated two vaccines from the research bench to human clinical trials, including one for dengue fever. In 2013, Inviragen was acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. Stinchcomb also serves as Executive Chair of FluGen, Inc., a biotechnology company developing a novel, single round replicating influenza vaccine.

Stinchcomb has authored over 50 scientific publications, is an inventor on more than 30 patents and serves as a member of the Vaccines Policy Advisory Committee for BIO, the world's largest biotechnology trade association. Stinchcomb received his PhD from Stanford University and his BA from Harvard College.

About IDRI: As a nonprofit global health organization, IDRI (Infectious Disease Research Institute) takes a comprehensive approach to combat infectious diseases, combining the high-quality science of a research organization with the product development capabilities of a biotech company to create new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines. Founded in 1993, IDRI has 125 employees headquartered in Seattle with nearly 100 partners/collaborators around the world. For more information, visit www.idri.org.  

SOURCE Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI)

Related Links

http://www.idri.org