CARE, the European initiative to promote research about Covid-19
The SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic, referred to as Covid-19, has put the whole planet on defense. The impact of the lethality of the virus over the healthcare systems has caused some unpredictable consequences over the economy, that left the big economies missing underneath a crisis of yet to be determined consequences.
The vulnerability of all countries, without exceptions, has promoted something that up until now seemed impossible to take place: that all of the medical-scientific community joined forces to try to come up with an effective vaccine in record time or to develop drugs that allow for a prompt recovery of patients. It is clear that the battle against Covid-19 has to be fought as one. Thus, some institutions and pharmaceutical companies of a dozen countries have created the CARE (Corona Accelerated R&D in Europe) consortium, with the objective of accelerating the investigation and the development of medicines to treat the infection by SARS-CoV-2.
The project relies on some 77.7 million Euros of financing, and it is backed by the European Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). A total of 37 organizations are participating with the involvement of researchers from all around the academic world, research centers and innovative small and middle sized companies from Germany, Belgium, China, Denmark, the U.S.A., Spain, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The Consortium, as reported by the Gaceta Médica in Spain is focused on three pillars: repositioning of drugs, through the screening and creation of libraries profiles of components brought by the members with the objective that the molecules can be taken to advanced stages of clinical trials on an expedited schedule; discovery of small molecule drugs based on virtual screening and the creation of profiles of compounds with possible therapeutic potential against the infection of SARS-CoV-2 and future coronaviruses; and discovery of antibodies that neutralizes the virus using human yeast and phages solutions, the immunization of humanized animal models, patients’ B lymphocytes and a virtual design.
All that being said, CARE advocates for the need of a continuous R+D and plans to develop its project during the next five years.
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