Therapeutic Advocate

An eye-opening visit with a patient sparked Dr. Joseph Amprey’s (M.D. ’04, Ph.D. ’02) desire to pursue a career in drug development.

Dr. Amprey was six months into his internship on a grueling late-night shift when he met his patient — a woman in her 40s in the end stages of metastatic breast cancer. “When I walked in, her smile lit up the room,” Dr. Amprey says. “Here was a young mother who was going through something unimaginable. Yet, she was smiling. It gave me perspective, but I also felt helpless.”

The experience prompted Dr. Amprey to shift the focus of his career from traditional clinical practice and immunology research to drug development, in a quest to reach many more patients.

“I ended up consulting for a venture capital firm during my Ph.D., and a light bulb went off because I was exposed to so many different, promising ideas,” Dr. Amprey said. “And that promise was very exciting to me.”

Since then, he has played a key role in the launch of Solosec, a treatment for bacterial vaginosis, and co-founded Zyngenia, a company that develops antibody-based therapeutics for breast cancer and autoimmune diseases.

His latest venture, Zero Point Five Therapeutics, the Baltimore-based company he founded and where he serves as CEO, works to develop safe and effective treatments for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) common in tropical and subtropical climates in 149 countries. NTDs affect more than 1 billion people, disproportionately impacting those living in poverty.

The company’s current therapeutic target is Soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) — a group of intestinal parasites that affects both adults and children. STH can lead to anemia, poor birth outcomes, malnutrition, stunted growth, cognitive defects and intestinal obstructions. Dr. Amprey’s team has developed a child-friendly, single-dose treatment (compared to the traditional six-dose regimen) and will soon begin final studies before submission for FDA approval.

In his career — and in his life — Dr. Amprey has been focused on the fight against systemic inequalities. “When I see diseases that disproportionately and unnecessarily affect certain populations — like women, children or people of color — it tears me up inside,” he says. “I have found myself becoming a social justice advocate for populations affected by these diseases. This work is my way of contributing.”