As circumstances around coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to evolve quickly, the California Biotechnology Foundation wants to keep you informed about the progress being made by biotechnology researchers in California and across the nation to expand available testing, treat the virus and prevent its spread.

The following resources track what progress has been made as of April 17, 2020. Notable advancements include:

• Remdesivir, an experimental antiviral drug made by the Bay Area’s Gilead Sciences, reportedly had a successful clinical trial in Chicago.
• Johnson & Johnson is aiming to produce up to 900 million doses of its potential coronavirus vaccine by April 2021.
• Biogen, Inc., Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Partners Healthcare announced a consortium to build and share a COVID-19 biobank of biological and medical data to advance research for potential vaccines and treatments.

Recent News:

• Biogen, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Partners HealthCare Launch Consortium to Build and Share a COVID-19 Biobank
  Biospace – April 16, 2020
  Biogen, Inc., Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Partners HealthCare today announced a consortium that will build and share a COVID-19 biobank.
• Report: Gilead’s experimental drug Remdesivir led to ‘rapid’ recovery in coronavirus patients
  SFGATE – April 16, 2020
  Remdesivir, an experimental antiviral drug made by the Bay Area’s Gilead Sciences, reportedly had a successful clinical trial in Chicago.
• Dynavax and Sinovac Partner to Develop COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate
  Biospace – April 16, 2020
  California-based Dynavax Technologies has entered the race alongside Sinovac Biotech to develop a vaccine candidate against COVID-19.
• Scientists tap CRISPR’s search-and-detect skills to create a rapid COVID-19 test
  STAT – April 16, 2020
  Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, and scientists at Mammoth Biosciences — whose advisory board includes CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna — published research in Nature Biotechnology laying out a method for using CRISPR to quickly spot the coronavirus in samples from the nose or throat swabs.
• Here’s What We Know about the Most Touted Drugs Tested for COVID-19
  Scientific American – April 16, 2020
  As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim lives around the world, there are no specific treatments for the disease beyond supportive care. Several drugs already prescribed for other illnesses have shown promise against the novel coronavirus in preclinical studies.
• Abbott launches COVID-19 antibody test, plans 20 million tests per month by June
  Reuters – April 15, 2020
  Abbott Laboratories Inc said on Wednesday it would begin shipping a new coronavirus blood test that can tell whether a person has ever been infected and plans to ramp up manufacturing to produce 20 million tests per month by June.
• Local company working on coronavirus vaccine, antibody test and therapy
  Fox 5 San Diego – April 15, 2020
  San Diego based Sorrento Therapeutics is working to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus as well as antibody therapy and testing.
• TransCelerate BioPharma Member Companies Commit to Share COVID-19 Related Clinical Data via DataCelerate®
  Biospace – April 15, 2020
  TransCelerate BioPharma Inc., a non-profit collaboration comprised of 21 of the largest global biopharmaceutical companies, announced that it will be utilizing its DataCelerate® platform to share Member Company control arm data from ongoing and planned COVID-19 clinical studies, as well as data from past studies in related diseases or patient populations.
• San Diego biotech company launches trials of drug to treat COVID-19 pneumonia
  San Diego Union-Tribune – April 15, 2020
  San Diego biotech company CalciMedica has partnered with two Midwestern hospitals to test a drug designed to help COVID-19 patients who are battling severe pneumonia.
• J&J can produce up to 900 million coronavirus vaccine doses by April 2021 if trials go well
  CNBC – April 14, 2020
  Johnson & Johnson is aiming to produce between 600 million and 900 million doses of its potential coronavirus vaccine by the end of the first quarter of 2021 if human trials scheduled to begin in September go as planned.
• Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline collaborate to speed up coronavirus vaccine development
  STAT – April 14, 2020
  The French drug giant Sanofi said Tuesday that it plans to use technology from GlaxoSmithKline to accelerate the development of its experimental vaccine against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.
• AstraZeneca to Test New Cancer Medicine in COVID-19 Battle
  Bloomberg – April 13, 2020
  AstraZeneca Plc will start testing one of its new cancer medicines to see whether it can quell the excessive immune response COVID-19 triggers in some patients.
• SLO biotech company joins fight against coronavirus — by supplying test kits
  The Tribune – April 10, 2020
  Promega Corp., which employs 75 people at its Promega Biosciences subsidiary in San Luis Obispo, has produced materials used in testing about 25 million potential coronavirus samples around the world, according to company officials.
• Potential New COVID-19 Treatment Leronlimab Being Tested on Coronavirus Patients
  Newsweek – April 10, 2020
  Researchers are exploring a potential new treatment for COVID-19 known as leronlimab and have administered the drug for the first time to coronavirus patients in the past few days.