Australian researchers to test possible cure for COVID-19 on human patients
A team of Australian researchers say they may have found a cure for the novel coronavirus and hope to have patients enrolled in a nationwide trial by the end of the month.
The researchers from the University of Queensland had previously been testing two existing drugs in a lab setting and had been trying to get a clinical trial off the ground, setting a target of $750,000.
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Researchers at the UniverSITY of Queensland may have found a potential cure for COVID-19. AP/AAP
Overnight it was announced the researchers reached that target and as a result the clinical trial will go ahead.
Around 50 hospitals across the country have signed up to be a part of the clinical trial.
UQ has one of only three programs globally, and the only one in Australia, initiated by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), leveraging "rapid response" platforms in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
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Scientists at work in the CSIRO's high-containment facility in Geelong, where the drugs will undergo a clinical trail. AAP
In just three weeks, the team of researchers had created their first vaccine candidate in the laboratory and will move immediately into further development before formal pre-clinical testing.
If the drug proves to be an effective cure for people infected with COVID-19, this would be a major step forward and would drastically speed up the process of making the cure available to people around the world - as opposed to developing a vaccine, which is an expensive and time-consuming process.
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