Dr. Asim K. Debnath, Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Drug Design at the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute of the New York Blood Center, is among the investigators in the Midwest Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Center, which has received a funding grant of $66 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The goal of the center is to develop antiviral drugs for pandemic-level viruses. Dr. Debnath will be responsible for drug design and development efforts, including structure-based drug design and lead optimization for the AViDD center.