Dr Dale Kempf

Dr Dale Kempf has nearly 35 years of pharmaceutical R&D experience, mostly in antiviral and infectious diseases research. He is a co-inventor of Norvir™ (ritonavir) and Kaletra™ (lopinavir/ritonavir), HIV protease inhibitors that are widely used for the therapy of HIV infection. Dale co-directed AbbVie’s hepatitis C discovery programme leading to the development of Viekira Pak™ (dasabuvir/ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir) and Mavyret™ (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir).

Currently, Dr Kempf coordinates the Neglected Diseases programme at AbbVie, a cross-functional effort to work alongside partners dedicated to the discovery and development of new therapies for underserved populations. That programme has identified a new clinical candidate for the treatment of onchocerciasis. He currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee for Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance). He also serves on AbbVie’s Scientific Governing Board and Medicinal Chemistry Leadership Team.

Dale Kempf has published widely in areas of medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and drug resistance, with more than 150 publications and 87 U.S. patents to his credit. He has received several awards and recognitions, including the 1997 Intellectual Property Owners Association National Inventor of the Year Award, the 1999 Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Discoverers Award, the 2003 American Chemical Society Heroes of Chemistry Award, the 2008 Goshen College Culture for Service Award, the 2010 David Berry HIV DART Achievement Award, and the 2014 Yau Yuan Award for Excellence.