ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Emory Institute of Drug Discovery and Zirus, Inc., a biotechnology company based in Buford, Georgia, have entered into a collaboration and research agreement to develop novel compounds to treat infectious disease. Zirus uses a proprietary method for identifying genes and gene products in host cells that, when blocked, can prevent viruses from multiplying. Over the past several years, either alone or in collaboration with partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Zirus has identified, licensed and filed patents on more than 1000 targets. Zirus has also identified a number of drugs already approved for indications other than infectious disease that appear to block Zirus targets. These drugs have the potential to reach the market quickly to address significant unmet medical needs for infectious diseases.
