Biotech pioneer to lecture

David Gury will present the third Burton Morgan Lecture, "Liberal Arts and Business to Biotech," on Thursday, October 12, during Common Hour in Samuel Mather 201.

Gury, who earned a B.A. in economics from Kenyon in 1960 and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, has been a tireless advocate for the growth in biotechnology in his home state of Florida. He is the founding chairman of the Florida Research Consortium, which develops strategic partnerships between higher education and the business community, fostering progressive research programs at Florida's public and private universities.

In a long and distinguished career, Gury was the founding chief executive officer of NABI Pharmaceuticals, a company that makes products to treat and prevent infectious diseases. NABI, which was at one time the largest AIDS-testing company in the world, is developing drugs to treat staph infections, nicotine addiction, and hepatitis C.

After retiring from NABI, Gury was named chairman of Oragenics, Inc., a biotechnology company that is developing an oral rinse that could prevent most forms of dental decay. He serves on the boards of Bioheart, Inc., which produces a product that repairs damaged heart muscle, and GeneEx, which has developed a product to screen for periodontal disease.

Gury's visit is part of a lecture series featuring successful entrepreneurs and funded by the Burton D. Morgan Foundation.