HCV: The Journey from Discovery to a Cure

Michael J. Sofia, Ph.D. is currently Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder at Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., a company focused on the discovery and development of therapies to treat hepatitis B. He also holds a professorship at the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute and an Adjunct Professorship at the Drexel University School of Medicine. Previously, Mike Sofia was Senior Vice President of Chemistry and Senior Advisor at Gilead Sciences and was Sr. Vice President of Chemistry at Pharmasset, Inc until Pharmasset’s acquisition by Gilead in Jan 2012.Mike Sofia previously held research and research management positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Intercardia Research Labs (formerly Transcell Technologies) and  Eli Lilly & Co. He did his postdoctoral training in synthetic organic chemistry as an NIH fellow at Columbia University and received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.  He earned his B.A. degree in chemistry from Cornell University.Mike has introduced numerous drugs into clinical development for the treatment of infectious diseases and inflammatory diseases. He is the principle inventor of sofosbuvir (Sovaldiâ and Harvoniâ) currently marketed as a treatment for the cure of HCV infection.  Mike is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2015 ACS Heroes of Chemistry Award, the Economist Magazine’s 2015 Innovation Award in Biosciences, the 2016 IUPAC-Richter Prize, the 2016 Lasker-Debakey Award in Clinical Medical Research and the 2017 Gertrude Elion Award from the International Society for Antiviral Research.

• Identification of the virus, the medical need and clearing the blood supply.- Mapping the HCV genome.- The molecular virology of HCV.- The development of the HCV replicon system.- The Evolution of IFN therapy for HCV.- Evolution of HCV NS5B Non-Nucleoside Inhibitors.- Evolution of HCV NS5B Nucleoside & Nucleotide Inhibitors.- Discovery and Development of Sofosbuvir.- Discovery of Beclabuvir.- Discovery of Dasabuvir.- Evolution of HCV NS3/4 protease inhibitors.- Discovery and Development of Telaprevir.- Discovery and Development of Boceprevir.- Discovery and Development of Asunaprevir.-Discovery and Development of Grazoprevir.- Discovery and Development of Simeprevir.- Discovery and Development of Paritaprevir & Glecaprevir.