Northern Arizona University’s Pathogen and Microbiome Institute has launched a research center to test new drugs against the coronavirus disease. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.
A team of more than a dozen scientists are now focused on testing possible treatments for the coronavirus disease. The first drug they plan to study is a cancer treatment developed by a Danish firm. This drug is undergoing clinical trials in Boston with patients of ovarian cancer and has shown promise as an antiviral agent. The new center will also test existing drugs approved for the treatment of other diseases for their effectiveness on coronavirus. The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute already has laboratories with Biosafety Level 3 certifications from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That allows scientists to work with dangerous pathogens.
