Auburn University professor Stewart Schneller to give talk on leading Ebola drug candidate Sept. 25

Stewart Schneller, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Auburn University, will deliver a lecture regarding his recent identification of a possible therapeutic drug in the fight against the deadly disease, Ebola. The talk, titled "Antiviral Drug Design and Discovery: Ebola," will be held on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 4 p.m. in the College of Sciences and Mathematics' Sciences Center Auditorium located at 317 Roosevelt Concourse.

After 10 years of studying Ebola, a small drug redesign enabled Schneller and his team to produce a drug candidate that intends to reverse the immune-blocking abilities of the virus. Schneller's research was accepted for publication in the journal Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry and covered by news sources nationwide, including Fox News.

"The structure and mechanism of this drug appears to be different than any other lead we have followed in the past decade, and that is encouraging," said Schneller. "We hope we have found a way to restore the body's immune response to Ebola and we are working with the National Institutes of Health for further testing. Ebola is a serious issue and we hope to stay one step ahead of the virus."

A question and answer session will be held following the lecture, and light refreshments will be served. Parking will be available on the fourth level of the stadium parking deck located at Heisman and Duncan drives. The lecture is sponsored by Auburn University Libraries and the College of Sciences and Mathematics and is open to the public.