George Washington University (GW) researcher Aileen Chang, MD, MSPH, was chosen as a finalist for CureAccelerator Live! for the Developing World, a philanthropic pitch competition to find the next breakthrough clinical repurposing treatment.
Chang, an assistant professor of medicine and of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, delivered her pitch, “Repurposing a Flu Treatment for Severe Dengue Patients in Colombia,” at the May event. CureAccelerator Live! is hosted by Cures Within Reach, a philanthropic leader in drug, device, and nutraceutical repurposing research.
Chang is recommending further investigation of the medication Zanamivir, which has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Influenza A and B. The treatment has been shown to decrease vascular leakage caused by dengue, which is the primary cause of death in severe infections.
