Project Aves was a secret research and development project of the Longitude Pharmaceuticals corporation, headed by Longitude's then-CEO Charles Slade. Based on independent research by Helen Pendergast into John James Audubon's sudden creative flowering, the idea for the project was brought to Longitude by her brother, Judson Esterhazy—a friend and former student of Slade's. The project was centered on a mind-enhancement drug culled from a strain of avian flu, which Helen had discovered caused heightened awareness, enhanced creativity and cognitive function. Over time, however, the heightened sensitivity drove its sufferers insane as their brains were overwhelmed with sensory input.