Leading the Fight Against Emerging Diseases

Ralph Baric, professor of epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, is a pioneer in rapid-response approaches for the study of emerging viruses and the development of therapeutics. With the expertise of his lab, a partnership with Gilead Sciences was a natural fit with the goal of developing breakthrough drugs to fight some of the world’s deadliest pathogenic viruses like MERS, SARS and Ebola.

In the past, the approach was “one bug, one drug” — using a drug or vaccine specific to a disease. Now, a broad-spectrum antiviral — working against a large variety of highly pathogenic viruses — potentially holds the key to pandemic preparedness and the power to control future outbreaks.

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This is story number 118 in the Carolina Stories 225th Anniversary Edition magazine.
 

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