Leading Minds on COVID-19 Come Together for Pandemic Preparedness Symposium, Hosted by Scripps Research

Experts discuss how to better position the United States and the world to combat emerging viral threats

Symposium marks public launch of Center for Antiviral Medicines & Pandemic Preparedness (CAMPP) to develop new antiviral therapies in preparation for future pandemics

LA JOLLA, Calif., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, world-class leaders in COVID-19 and other infectious diseases come together at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California to discuss the preemptive groundwork for creating readily available drugs for viruses most likely to drive the next global pandemic.

Notable experts presenting at the Pandemic Preparedness Symposium include Trevor Mundel, MD, PhD, (President, Global Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and Carl W. Dieffenbach, PhD (Director, Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases). The event will be moderated by Scripps Research's Immunology and Microbiology Professor Sumit Chanda, PhD, and Vice President, Medicinal Chemistry Arnab Chatterjee, PhD, with opening remarks from United States Congressman Scott Peters (D-CA 50th District).

"While the next global pandemic is a real and impending danger, we now have a unique opportunity to prepare," said Chatterjee. "We must seize the chance to proactively develop research capacity and advance potential treatments and preventions–a difference that could mean saving millions of lives. We at Scripps Research are thrilled to bring together a group of individuals who are among those leading the charge in pandemic preparedness, highlighting for us the key focus areas as they seek to better position the United States and the world to combat emerging viral threats."

The symposium marks the public debut of the Center for Antiviral Medicines & Pandemic Preparedness (CAMPP), a multi-institutional, NIH-funded collaboration. CAMPP is led by Scripps Research and its drug development division, Calibr, with a mission to develop new antiviral therapies in preparation for future pandemics–an effort that could save countless lives. In May 2022, NIAID awarded $577M to establish nine Antiviral Drug Discovery (AviDD) Centers for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern. One of the nine established centers is CAMPP, sponsored with $67 million over three years.

"CAMPP builds a close network of research and industry collaborators–including the Gates Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, Gilead and Wellcome Trust–plus efficient workflows and antiviral drug discovery capabilities," said Chanda. "The infrastructure and expertise enables not only the development of novel antivirals for pandemic preparedness, but a framework that is poised to pivot quickly to accelerate our response to new outbreaks."

The CAMPP program balances several late-stage assets that are expected to move through IND-enabling studies and have the clear potential to enter clinical trials in the near term, with early-stage innovative projects that have the capacity to alter developmental strategies for next-generation antivirals. In addition to coronaviruses (CoVs), CAMPP is focused on tackling RNA viruses of pandemic potential, including flaviviruses (yellow fever virus, dengue virus, Zika virus), paramyxoviruses, bunyaviruses, togaviruses and filoviruses (Ebola virus) and hemorrhagic fever (Lassa) viruses.

Scripps Research is an independent, nonprofit biomedical institute ranked one of the most influential in the world for its impact on innovation by Nature Index. With campuses in La Jolla, California, and Jupiter, Florida, we are advancing human health through profound discoveries that address pressing medical concerns around the globe. Our drug discovery and development division, Calibr, works hand-in-hand with scientists across disciplines to bring new medicines to patients as quickly and efficiently as possible, while teams at Scripps Research Translational Institute harness genomics, digital medicine and cutting-edge informatics to understand individual health and render more effective healthcare. Scripps Research also trains the next generation of leading scientists at our Skaggs Graduate School, consistently named among the top 10 US programs for chemistry and biological sciences. Learn more at www.scripps.edu.

SOURCE Scripps Research