DNDi's Scientific Advisory Committee

DNDi’s Scientific Advisory Committee is a group of 15 scientists from different backgrounds and countries who are renowned in their specialist fields and bring a wide range of expertise to bear in the selection of projects for DNDi's portfolio. Some of the members have been nominated by DNDi’s Founding Partners while others have been elected by the Board.

DNDi’s SAC is truly committed to taking forward DNDi’s vision of developing new, improved, and field-adapted drugs for people suffering from neglected diseases. It meets twice a year to deliberate upon project submissions and does as much as it can to help DNDi achieve its goals.

The projects recommended by the SAC to the DNDi Board of Directors are chosen on the basis of scientific merit and relevance. In addition, the SAC tries to keep a balance between projects from developing countries and developed countries. DNDi places great importance on identifying and selecting projects from disease-endemic countries where there is an immediate, perceived need for new drugs for neglected diseases.

Scientific Advisory Committee Members

Chair: WIRTH Dyann, Harvard School of Public Health, USA

Members nominated by DNDi’s founding partner institutions
> BHATT Kirana (Kenya Medical Research Institute)
> BOECHAT Nubia (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation)
> BOELAERT Marleen (Médecins Sans Frontières)
> BOST Pierre-Etienne (Institut Pasteur)
> FAIRLAMB Alan (WHO/TDR)
> SETH Shiv Dayal (Indian Council of Medical Research)
> Ministry of Health Malaysia to nominate a member

Members from external research and development organizations
> FOLB Peter, University of Cape Town, South Africa
> GUPTA C.M., CDRI Lucknow, India
> HERRLING Paul, Novartis
> SHAPIRO Bennett, formerly with Merck Sharp Dohme
> URBINA Julio, IVIC, Venezuela
> YAMADA Haruki, Kitasato Institute, Tokyo, Japan
> YUTHAVONG Yongyuth, National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), Thailand