Dear colleagues and friends,

As the novel coronavirus SARS-Cov-2 and the disease it causes, COVID-19, spread throughout the world, the safety and well-being of our community remain our top priority. I want to share that we are proactively working to keep our teams and scientists safe while also leading the fight against COVID-19.

The majority of our staff is now working remotely, and, keeping with the stay-at-home order, our faculty members are putting much of their experimental research on pause—with a few exceptions. Sumit Chanda, Ph.D., and his team of collaborators are working to test existing drugs for activity against SARS-Cov-2. If successful, this approach is likely the fastest avenue to an effective treatment against the virus.

Prior to the novel coronavirus outbreak, Chanda’s lab was advancing broad-spectrum antivirals—medicines that work against many viruses, not just one—that could protect us against a pandemic. Thus, he and his team are well positioned to laser-focus their efforts on COVID-19 at this unprecedented time. 

I am hopeful that our work will emerge as part of the larger solution to this global health crisis. While we adjust to a lifestyle that we never planned for or imagined, we encourage you to stay safe and help protect your family, friends and community. 

Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D.

President

Pauline and Stanley Foster Presidential Chair

The fastest path to a treatment for COVID-19: Drug repositioning

In the months since the novel coronavirus made the jump to humans, it has spread worldwide—reaching every continent except Antarctica. As the world grapples with the ongoing pandemic, we spoke with infectious disease expert Sumit Chanda, Ph.D., to learn about his perspective on the outbreak and his team's efforts to fight COVID-19, using an approach called drug repositioning.

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Meet Damian, a truly one-of-a-kind kid

Donnie and Gracie Omler are used to the question, “What’s wrong with your son?” Now they don’t have to say, “We don’t know.” Hudson Freeze, Ph.D., found that their 11-year-old son, Damian, has a never-before-seen type of congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG), now named CDG-GET4. He is the only known person in the world with this CDG mutation.

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Due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, all community events are postponed. We will be sure to let you know when they can be safely resumed. In the meantime, please stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.