New pandemic science hub is being created to test new treatments
A new pandemic science hub is being created to develop treatments for lung infections such as Covid-19.
The hub at the University of Edinburgh will use translational genomics – following clues from the human genome to identify and rapidly test new treatments – along with experimental medicine methods to quickly evaluate and develop drugs for lung inflammation and injury caused by infection.
Independent investment partnership Baillie Gifford is supporting the launch with a philanthropic gift of £14.7 million and the university aims to secure £100m worth of investment in total.
It will build on the success of GENOMICC and STOPCOVID, experimental medicine projects led by Professors Kenneth Baillie and Kev Dhaliwal, respectively.
Prof Baillie, GENOMICC’S chief investigator and professor of experimental medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said: “The generous donation from Baillie Gifford enables us to build on recent advances in genomics, computing, engineering and experimental medicine to speed up the process of drug development, so that we’ll be able to find targeted therapies more quickly for new, and old, diseases.
“The hub will use clues from human genetics to develop new drugs, and then build technologies to rapidly test those drugs in critically ill patients.”
GENOMICC is a global research study that aims to understand the genetic factors that change outcomes in critical illness.
Based on human genetic data from Covid-19 patients, they predicted the drug baricitinib would be an effective treatment. This discovery with other evidence, led to the decision to add the drug to the RECOVERY trial, which recently reported that baricitinib is effective at reducing death from severe Covid-19.
Professor Dhaliwal, STOPCOVID lead and professor of molecular imaging and healthcare technology at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Innovation and team science are at the heart of this new push which will make a jump in experimental medicine capabilities.”
Mark Urquhart, partner at Baillie Gifford, said: “Our aim is to contribute towards better preparedness for new Covid-19 variants and other pandemics in the future.”