Cassandra Quave, Ph.D. is Curator of the Herbarium and Associate Professor of Dermatology and Human Health at Emory University, where she leads natural product drug discovery research initiatives and teaches courses on medicinal plants, microbiology, and pharmacology.
Cassandra Quave, PhD
Can you introduce yourself?
I’m an Associate Professor of Dermatology and Human Health at Emory. I also serve as the Curator of the Emory Herbarium. I cofounded Verdant Scientific in the summer of 2022 and serve as the CSO for the company.
What did you enjoy about winning an award?
It is always nice to receive recognition for one’s work. I am passionate about the technology we are developing at Verdant and it was uplifting to receive the news of this award.
Can you tell us a little bit more about the technology/innovation you received the award for?
Verdant licensed a suite of patents that have come out of my lab’s research into the anti-virulence effects of plant-derived molecules against microbial infections. The idea is simple: instead of killing the microbes, our technology reduces the ability of the microbes to cause harm to the host tissues. We’re using this technology to create new solutions to debilitating skin diseases.
What does this award mean for your lab or your family?
Awards like this which recognize accomplishments of women in science are important signals to young scholars in my lab and beyond that they, too, can have a seat at the table.
What are the next steps for this technology?
We are in the development stage of the technology.
Do you have one word to describe your feeling winning this award?
Happy.
Join us for the 17th Annual Celebration of Technology and Innovation on March 23, 2023! RSVP here: bit.ly/RSVP-OTT.