[1] Hazuda has also performed extensive research and led the development of antivirals for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) including Elbasvir and Grazoprevir.
[2] She currently serves as Vice President for Infectious Diseases Discovery for Merck and Chief Scientific Officer of their MRL Cambridge Exploratory Science Center.
[5] She initially pursued a premedical degree at Georgetown University, but fell in love with research during a part-time job in a lab and decided to go into drug discovery.
[7] She previously served as Global Director of Scientific Affairs for Antivirals in Merck's division of Global Human Health, as well as co-site head of basic research for the Merck West Point research facility.
Integrase strand transfer activity was measured by the labeled DNA getting stuck to the well after unreacted products were washed off.
[9] In 2000, her group published two key papers showing effective integrase inhibitors could be made.
[6] She demonstrated that the inhibitors she had identified acted as Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitor (InSTI), binding to viral DNA-bound integrase, chelating the active site magnesium ions, and thereby preventing the complex from binding to cellular DNA.
[1] The integrase inhibitor she led the development of, Isentress (raltegravir), was awarded the Prix Galien prize in 2008.