The partners in the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, a large-scale initiative launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard, awarded $20m in initial grants to three institutions.

The University of Washington, University of Oxford, and La Jolla Institute for Immunology will receive the first three grants fund clinical trials in order to identify highly potent immunotherapies for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two of the newly announced trials will fund an investigation of two well-established drugs, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, that have known antiviral properties.

The trials aim to determine whether the drugs are effective as pre- and post-exposure preventive therapy for COVID-19.

The additional funds will allow the Accelerator to continue making grants to study repurposed drugs and investigate biological compounds for activity against COVID-19. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1586111406.78703/Covid-19-Therapeutics-Accelerator-Announces-$20M-Initial-Grants?ref=audio_experience