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Pneumagen Ltd, focused on treating infectious disease and oncology by targeting the human glycome, today announced it has initiated a new programme to prevent and treat coronavirus COVID-19 infections using its first-in-class Carbohydrate Binding Modules (mCBMs), generated using its proprietary GlycoTarge™ platform.
Following the completion of Public Health England’s (PHE) formal evaluation of Primerdesign COVID-19 test, as announced on 12 March 2020, the government agency has started ordering the test. Orders are initially for eight hospitals to provide stocks in those locations for four weeks of planned testing. The total value of the initial purchase is approximately £1.0 million (€1.1 million), which is the single largest order the developing company Novacyt has received to date for its COVID-19 test.
Earlier this year, the lab of Xavier Saelens (VIB-UGent) announced the discovery of a unique antibody that is capable of binding the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). The antibody was developed in collaboration with two research groups in the US.
The team has now established that the antibody can neutralize a lab variant of the virus, an important step forward in the development of a potential antiviral drug against the new coronavirus.
Novartis is to join collaborative R&D efforts with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard -supported COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator and a partnership with the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI).
"Recognizing the power of working together as an industry, we are also bringing the talent and capabilities of our industry-leading R&D organization to two leading and important collaborative R&D initiatives," said CEO Vas Narasimhan.
The University of Eastern Finland will close its campuses and moves all teaching online, in accordance with the instructions issued by the Finnish Government on 16 March. All facilities of the University of Eastern Finland are closed as of today.
South Africa's Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) has redirected R4 million (€219,000) from some of its projects to research on COVID-19. The Department is supporting local research that will focus on surveillance, therapeutics and understanding the local epidemiology and natural history of the virus, which has infected in South Africa 62 people so far.
Policy recommendations by researchers at Imperial College London has prompted the UK government to rethink its strategy against the COVID-19 outbreak. On Monday evening, prime minister Boris Johnson called on UK citizens to avoid non-essential contact and to avoid public spaces. "Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel," Johnson said.
The Imperial report used epidemiological modelling to predict outcomes of different combinations of containment strategies. The results show the UK should supplement its self-isolation measures by school and university closures.
EU commissioner for research and innovation Mariya Gabriel announced a deadline extension for proposals. All deadlines between 17 March and 15 April are postponed by one week. due today. More information will be soon available on the EU's funding and tenders portal.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will use its InnovFin Infectious Disease Finance Facility, to finance research on halting the spread of COVID-19, but also on cures and vaccine development. The funding is in addition to €40 billion in emergency funding to support the economy through the crisis. The EIB's current pipeline of projects in the health sector amounts to around €5 billion.
EIB president Werner Hoyer said: “We will build on what we already do for the health sector. We are already in contact with companies and organisations seeking to fund the search for Covid-19 vaccines and medication. We are all living through trying times, and the EIB Group will work without pause to ensure the EU bank contributes to the rapid resolution of this terrible crisis.”
The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and research commissioner Mariya Gabriel have promised German vaccine developer CureVac more EU funding, after media reports unveiled attempts by US president Donald Trump to secure exclusive distribution of CureVac's vaccine against COVID-19 which is still under development. "[It is] crucial to find [as soon as possible] the vaccine that will help the whole world," Von der Leyen said in a tweet.
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