GeoVax Labs, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing human vaccines against infectious diseases and cancer using a novel patented Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Virus Like Particle (MVA-VLP) based vaccine platform. On this platform, MVA, a large virus capable of carrying several vaccine antigens, expresses proteins that assemble into VLP immunogens within (in vivo) the person receiving the vaccine. The production of VLPs in the person being vaccinated can mimic virus production in a natural infection, stimulating both the humoral and cellular arms of the immune system to recognize, prevent, and control the target infection. The MVA-VLP derived vaccines can elicit durable immune responses in the host similar to a live-attenuated virus, while providing the safety characteristics of a replication-defective vector. GeoVax’s current development programs are focused on preventive vaccines against COVID-19, HIV, Zika Virus, hemorrhagic fever viruses (Ebola, Sudan, Marburg, and Lassa), and malaria, as well as therapeutic vaccines against multiple cancers.
David A. Dodd, Chairman, President & CEO
Mr. Dodd joined the GeoVax Board of Directors in March 2010 and was elected Chairman in January 2011. His executive management experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries spans more than 40 years. From September 2017 to June 2018, Mr. Dodd served as CEO, and as a member of the Board of Directors, of Medizone International, Inc., a medical device manufacturer. From April 2013 to July 2017, Mr. Dodd served as President and CEO, and as a member of the Board of Directors, of Aeterna Zentaris Inc., a drug development company. He was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aeterna Zentaris, Inc. from May 2014 to May 2016, and continued to serve as a member of its Board of Directors until May 2018. From December 2007 to June 2009, Mr. Dodd was President, CEO and Chairman of BioReliance Corporation, a leading provider of biological safety and related testing services. From October 2006 to April 2009, he served as non-executive Chairman of Stem Cell Sciences Plc., where he oversaw the development and implementation of a strategic growth plan, implementation of an experienced executive team, and the sale of the company to Stem Cells, Inc. in April 2009. He is also the CEO of RiversEdge BioVentures, an investment and advisory firm focused on the life sciences and pharmaceuticals industries, which he founded in 2009.
During Mr. Dodd's six-year tenure as President, CEO and Director of Serologicals Corporation, the market value of that company increased from $85 million in June 2000 to an all-cash sale to Millipore Corporation in July 2006 for $1.5 billion. That successful transformation followed his five-year term as President and CEO of Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and as Chairman of its subsidiary Unimed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Dodd held various senior management positions at Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, the Mead Johnson Laboratories Division at Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Abbott Laboratories.
He is a frequently invited speaker and panelist at business and economic development conferences, as well as various conferences focused on the life sciences and pharmaceutical industry. He is a recipient of the Oglethorpe Award for UK-US Business Relationships, the Georgia BIO Industry Growth Award, and the FastTech 50 Growth Company Award (2000-2006) while leading Serologicals Corporation.
Mr. Dodd holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Georgia State University and completed the Harvard Business School of Advanced Management Program.
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