CalAsia Pharmaceuticals, founded by SDEE member Sridhar Prasad  was awarded a $600,000 NIH Phase I SBIR grant to develop novel antiviral agents for the treatment of Dengue (DENV) fever and West Nile Virus (WNV) infection. 

Approximately, 100 million DENV infections each year result in about 25,000 deaths.  During 2012, United States witnessed a sudden surge in WNV infections, with more than 5,000 cases in 48 states and 228 deaths.  CalAsia and its collaborator have identified compounds with development potential for potent, safe, and low-cost medications to treat DENV and WNV infection.