Columbia University research teams awarded more than $2M to identify potential COVID-19 antiviral drugs

The Jack Ma Foundation recently awarded four research teams at Columbia University $2.1 million for their efforts to identify potential antiviral drugs and antibiotics for use against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The Chinese-based foundation awarded the funds to Columbia with the understanding that Columbia’s scientists will collaborate with Chinese academic researchers at the epicenter of the outbreak. Each team will pursue a different approach to developing drugs with the ability to stop the coronavirus from replicating. The goal: a drug that could offer protection against COVID-19, formerly identified as 2019-nCoV, if injected before infection, or block its continued growth within those already taken ill.

“Over the past two decades, we’ve seen the emergence of three deadly coronaviruses – SARS, MERS, and now 2019-nCoV,” said Dr. David Ho, founding scientific director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and professor of medicine at Columbia. “We believe it is likely that new coronaviruses will emerge in the future. The four projects we are now pursuing against 2019-nCoV were chosen because we believe they will lead to the development of a broad spectrum antiviral drug or antibody that could be effective against a wide range of current and future coronaviruses. We’re undertaking this work with a great sense of urgency because of the nature of the current coronavirus outbreak, but we are also thinking ahead to what we may confront in the future.”

Ho is leading Columbia’s efforts, but teams will be divided between the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. They will seek to identify or develop two types of antiviral drugs and one type of virus-neutralizing antibody.

Ho expects to move at least one protease inhibitor — a drug that inhibits the ability of viruses to rely on enzymes for replication — one polymerase inhibitor — a drug that inhibits the function of polymerase enzymes coronaviruses use to copy their RNA and replicate — and one monoclonal antibody — molecules that bind to the surface of such viruses and neutralize its infection capabilities — to clinical trials within a year. Ho himself will focus on the monoclonal antibodies, which will be dispatched to Chinese labs for testing if successful. Dr. Alex Chavez will lead the protease team, while Drs. Stephen Goff, Yosef Sabo, and Jingyu Ju will use different approaches to create a polymerase inhibitor.