Professor David C.K. Chu

David C.K. Chu, Ph.D. is Director, Drug Discovery Group and Distinguished Research Professor, Emeritus, both at University of Georgia.
 
His drug discovery group at The University of Georgia College of Pharmacy has been involved in the discovery of antiviral and anticancer agents for the last 20 years. His current focus is structure-based drug design (HIV and hepatitis B & C virus) and chiral synthesis of carbohydrate-modified nucleosides as potential antiviral and anticancer agents.
 
David is also investigating the HIV/HBV drug resistance and molecular mechanism of antiviral agents by molecular modeling approach. His group has been fully funded by the National Institutes of Health as well as private foundations. His group works closely with numerous well-known biology laboratories such as Emory University, Yale University, University of Alabama, Cornell University, Georgetown University, etc. His drug discovery group is a nationally and internationally recognized academic center with many accomplishments in drug discovery as listed below:

• AZDU (CS-87) for AIDS (discovered 1987-Phase I/II-1999-discontinued)
• AZMC (CS-92) for AIDS (discovered 1988-Phase I-discontinued)
• DAPD for AIDS (discovered 1992-currently Phase II clinical trials)
• L-OddC for cancer (discovered 1993-currently Phase II/III clinical trials)
• L-FMAU for hepatitis B virus (discovered 1993-currently Phase II clinical trials)
• L-IOddU for Epstein-Barr virus (discovered 1996-currently preclinical)

David edited Antiviral Nucleosides: Chiral Synthesis and Chemotherapy and Recent Advances in Nucleosides: Chemistry and Chemotherapy. His papers include Characterization of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses Resistant to Oxathiolane-Cytosine Nucleosides, Activities of the Four Optical Isomers of 2’,3’-Dideoxy-3’- Thiacytidine (BCH-189) against Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 in Human Lymphocytes, Use of 2’-Fluoro-5-Methyl-b-L-Arabinofuranosyluracil as a Novel Antiviral Agent for Hepatitis B Virus and Epstein-Barr Virus, and Anticancer Activity of β-l-Dioxolane-cytidine, a Novel Nucleoside Analogue with the Unnatural l Configuration.
 
He has 42 patents including Method of treating hepatitis delta virus infection, 5-(E)-Bromovinyl uracil analogues and related pyrimidine nucleosides as anti-viral agents and methods of use, Process for the preparation of 2’-fluoro-5-methyl-β-L-arabinofuranosyluridine, Synthesis, anti-human immunodeficiency virus, and anti-hepatitis B virus activities of 1,3-oxaselenolane nucleosides, Method for the treatment of psoriasis and genital warts, and 2’-Fluoronucleosides.
 
David earned his B.S. in Pharmacy at Seoul National University in 1964, his M.S. in Medicinal Chemistry at Idaho State University in 1970, and his Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry at the State University of New York / Buffalo in 1974.