Dr. Tidwell’s research is focused on the design and synthesis of new drugs for the treatment of neglected diseases. The rationale for design of new drugs is directed at determining the mechanisms of action, antimicrobial activity, and pharmacokinetics of dicationic or arylimidamide molecules. These studies have yielded numerous patents, making him one of the leaders in cutting edge research within the university.

In 2000, Dr. Tidwell was awarded $15.1 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop new drugs to fight human African trypanosomiasis or HAT (sleeping sickness) and leishmaniasis, two diseases that are killing and infecting millions of people in developing countries. The five year grant brought together a consortium of some of the world’s top experts in drug development and delivery from UNC-Chapel Hill, Georgia State University, the University of Glasgow, Ohio State University, the Swiss Tropical Institute, and the Kenya Trypanosomiasis Research Institute among others. During this initial funding period the Consortium for Parasitic Drug Discovery (CPDD) discovered and developed DB289 (pafuramidine), the first orally active drug and the first new drug in the last 50 years for the treatment of early stage HAT. In order to expand upon the wealth of information obtained through this first grant, the Center for Translational Research on Tropical Diseases (CTRTD) was formed at UNC with Dr. Tidwell serving as director.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the CPDD with two additional grants in 2006 ($22.5 and $21.2 million) in order to continue the search for effective and inexpensive drugs to treat leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis.