PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Raymond F. Schinazi, Ph.D., DSc, a world leader in nucleoside chemistry and biology as well as the founder of five biotechnology companies, joins the Board of Directors of the Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida (VGTI Florida), a leading nonprofit immunological research institute. Dr. Schinazi, a Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology and of the Scientific Working Eradication Group at Emorys Center for AIDS Research, brings a wealth of expertise to assist VGTI Florida on its mission of Translating Research into Health.

Selected as a 2012 Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, a prestigious distinction awarded to academic inventors whose discoveries have made a tangible impact on the quality of life and welfare of society, Dr. Schinazi will inspire the VGTI Florida community and serve as an example of effective translational research. His experience in running biotech companies and obtaining patents will help the research institute navigate the licensing and commercialization challenges associated with bringing novel technologies to the market place.

As an influential scientist, inventor, educator, and entrepreneur, were extremely pleased that Dr. Schinazi is bringing his impressive array of experience to VGTI Florida, said Jay Nelson, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director of the institute. His remarkable accomplishments include commercialized inventions that have revenues of over $2 billion per year; in fact, more than 94% of HIV-infected individuals take at least one of the medicines he invented, saving millions of lives, Dr. Nelson added.

Dr. Schinazi is a Senior Research Career Scientist at the Atlanta VA and also an adjunct professor at Georgia State University and the University of Miami. He serves as an advisor for the Schiff Center for Liver Diseases at the University of Miami, and is a Governing Trustee for the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR). He has served on the Presidential Commission on AIDS and has won many awards including the Georgia Biomedical Industry Growth Award and the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Hepatitis B Foundation. Dr. Schinazi was inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia in March 2012, and he received the Intellectual Property Legends Award in October 2012.

He has co-authored more than 470 peer-reviewed papers and 7 books; and has secured more than 90 U.S. patents. Dr. Schinazi has served on the editorial board of several peer-reviewed journals, including Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Antiviral Chemistry and Chemotherapy, Antiviral Research and Antiviral Therapy. His current research focuses on HIV, HBV and HCV eradication strategies.

He holds a Bachelor of Science, a Ph.D. and Doctor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Bath, England. Dr. Schinazi completed postdoctoral training in Pharmacology at Yale University and in Virology/Immunology from Emory University.

VGTI Florida

VGTI Florida is a leading immunological research institute that is on an urgent mission to transform scientific discoveries into novel treatments and cures for devastating chronic illnesses such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, influenza and infectious diseases. VGTI Florida is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization located in the Tradition Center for Innovation in Port St. Lucie, Florida. For more information, please visit http://www.VGTIFL.org.

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Raymond F. Schinazi, Ph.D., D.Sc., Joins the Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida Board of Directors