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A Smyrna-based developer of vaccines against Zika, Ebola, HIV and other infectious diseases has named a new chief scientific officer.

Farshad Guirakhoo was promoted to the C-suite role at GeoVax Labs Inc. from senior vice president of research and development, his title upon joining the company in 2015. The promotion was effective Jan. 1.

His predecessor as CSO, company co-founder Harriet L. Robinson, will remain as chief scientific officer emeritus, the company said in a statement.

"For the past year, Farshad has been a driving force behind the growth of our vaccine development pipeline, and we are pleased to expand his role at this critical time for our company," GeoVax President and CEO Robert T. McNallysaid in the statement. "In the role of Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Guirakhoo will lead the scientific advancement of GeoVax's technology pipeline as the Company identifies and pursues new opportunities to address significant medical needs."

Robinson will continue to direct the company's HIV vaccine program and to serve as principal investigator on National Institutes of Health grants to GeoVax, McNally said. Robinson will also continue to serve as a member of the GeoVax Board of Directors.

Before joining GeoVax in 2015, Guirakhoo served in senior management and scientific roles with biotechnology companies included Vaxess Technologies, Hookipa Biotech, Sanofi Pasteur, Acambis Inc. and OraVax Inc. He earned his Ph.D. in virology at the Medical University of Vienna in Vienna, Austria, and he holds a M.Sc. degree in genetics and a B.Sc. degree in biology. His post-doctoral training included a stint at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention'sDivision of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases in Fort Collins, Colo. Guirakhoo has filed over 90 patent applications in his scientific career, according to the statement, and was instrumental in the development and commercialization of the Imojev Japanese encephalitis virus vaccine and the Dengvaxia vaccine for Dengue virus.

GeoVax Labs Inc., is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing human vaccines against infectious diseases. Its development programs are focused on vaccines against HIV, Zika, and hemorrhagic fever viruses (Ebola, Sudan, Marburg, and Lassa).

In February 2016, The University of Georgia and GeoVax announced a collaboration to develop and test a possible Zika virus vaccine. Read more about GeoVax's work on an Ebola vaccine here and here.

Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle