Global health R&D at work in Alabama
The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine operates the Antiviral Drug Discovery and Development Center (AD3C), funded by the US National Institutes of Health. AD3C focuses on developing drug therapies for diseases such as influenza, West Nile virus, SARS, chikungunya, and dengue. Researchers work to target and inhibit enzymes essential for viral replication. The viruses AD3C targets are of high priority for the US government as the global burden of these diseases is enormous, with West Nile virus and influenza routinely infecting US citizens. Southern Research Institute in Birmingham is supporting AD3C in screening potential compounds.