On the Frontline of Coronavirus Research

A research team at Columbia University Irving Medical Center is developing anti-viral compounds to kill the virus or help prevent its spread. Their work has been met with a global outpouring of support in a short time, with more than $10 million raised toward a $20 million goal to fund the research.

The team is headed by Dr. David Ho, a leader in Columbia’s COVID-19 biomedical research efforts. Once named Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year” (1996) for his pioneering work combating the HIV virus, Dr. Ho is Wu Professor of Medicine, and director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at Columbia. Dr. Ho and his team are working with scientists across campuses to identify new therapies and interventions to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funds raised to date include a $2.1 million grant from the Jack Ma Foundation, based in Hangzhou, China. Four research teams at Columbia (three at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and one at Columbia Engineering) will collaborate with researchers in China to identify potential antiviral drugs and antibodies to use against the coronavirus and help control the outbreak. Learn more.