Biao He

Regents’ Entrepreneur Award 2023

Biao He, Fred C. Davison Distinguished University Chair in Veterinary Medicine, is a renowned virologist and vaccine developer who has founded numerous biotechnology companies. His UGA research has led to four issued U.S. patents and 19 foreign patents. He’s work on the virus known as PIV5 has been translated into vaccines and treatments for deadly infections like rabies, tuberculosis, and HIV. The Georgia Research Alliance-funded startup company CyanVac is developing vaccines against several animal and human diseases based on He’s research. More recently, he founded Blue Lake Biotechnology, Inc., to develop PIV5-based vaccines for human disease with an initial focus on respiratory syncytial virus. In 2019, Blue Lake secured private investment to fund RSV vaccine development and has expanded to intranasal COVID-19 vaccine development in 2020. Blue Lake Biotech has shown promising phase 1 clinical trials for its intranasal COVID vaccine and intranasal RSV vaccine. He served on a White House panel to advise on the future of COVID vaccines.