$4M Fund Spurs Coronavirus Treatment Research At Johns Hopkins

BALTIMORE, MD — The State of Maryland and Bloomberg Philanthropies announced Friday they together are putting forth $4 million to fund a Johns Hopkins University-led research team that's studying the blood from patients who have survived the new coronavirus.

According to a release from Gov. Larry Hogan, Bloomberg Philanthropies is pitching in $3 million, and the State of Maryland is providing $1 million to fund the research.

The effort is led by Arturo Casadevall, an infectious disease expert and Bloomberg Distinguished Professor who has been working in recent weeks to create a network of hospitals and blood banks across the country to help study the blood of COVID-19 survivors.

According to the release, nearly two dozen hospitals and research centers — including the Mayo Clinic, Stanford University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine — are involved in the effort.

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Hospitals and blood banks have begun collecting the blood of COVID-19 survivors. Researchers are using the blood samples to identify COVID-19 antibodies they believe could be used as a treatment for the virus or to help boost the immunity of those at-risk of contracting the virus.

"We are very fortunate that Maryland has some of the top health research facilities in the world, and I am confident in our state's ability to be a leader in developing treatments and perhaps even a vaccine for COVID-19," Hogan said in a statement. "I want to sincerely thank Bloomberg Philanthropies and Johns Hopkins University for working with our state to form this exciting public-private partnership, which will protect the health and well-being of our citizens and has the potential to save thousands of lives."