Penn establishes center to accelerate coronavirus research
The Center for Research on Coronaviruses and Other Emerging Pathogens aims to advance research efforts and support development of new therapies and vaccines.
The Perelman School of Medicine has established a new center to help expand and accelerate research related to the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, that causes the respiratory illness known as COVID-19. The Center for Research on Coronaviruses and Other Emerging Pathogens aims to advance research to better understand the pathology of the coronavirus and, ultimately, support the development of potential vaccines, diagnostic tools, and effective therapies.
Susan Weiss,a professor of microbiology and a world-renowned leader in coronavirus research, and Frederic Bushman,chair of Microbiology, will serve as co-directors of the Center.
“There’s an urgent need to gain a greater understanding of the basic biology of SARS-CoV-2 and to advance research efforts that can help inform our diagnostic and therapeutic approaches,” says Weiss, whose lab has researched coronaviruses for the last four decades. “Our goal in establishing this Center is to coordinate the efforts among our large, multidisciplinary group—comprised of investigators and clinicians—to help expedite the discovery of safe and effective therapies and potential vaccines.”
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