Albert Einstein receives $1M COVID-19 research grant
BY JASON COHEN
Albert Einstein College
of Medicine has received a
$1 million challenge grant
from Michael F. Price and
the Price Family Foundation
to support COVID-19 research.
The foundation will match
donations to Einstein for research
on the coronavirus.
“Our longstanding partnership
with Einstein is based
on its extraordinary strength
in translational research,
moving breakthrough discoveries
in the lab into the clinic
to help patients,” Price said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic hit
the Bronx and Westchester
particularly hard, which
provides Einstein and Montefi
ore with an extraordinary
opportunity to play a leadership
role in the development of
diagnostics and treatments in
the fi ght against the pandemic
and we are committed to supporting
them in this important
work.”
Einstein and Montefi ore
Health System have been
at the forefront of treating
COVID-19 patients, conducting
several clinical trials on
promising drugs and treatments
and spearheading signifi
cant research initiatives,
including the development of
antibody tests.
Price, through his foundation,
is a longtime major supporter
of Einstein. The institution’s
newest basic and
translational research building
bears his name and the
foundation supports collaborations
between researchers
and clinicians focusing on pediatrics
in the Bronx.
With a large and growing
number of those who have
recovered from the disease,
researchers at Einstein and
Montefi ore are leading the national
effort to conduct a rigorous
clinical trial on the use of
convalescent plasma to treat
those fi ghting the infection.
The study brought together
researchers and infectious
disease clinicians and has resulted
in a new antibody test,
which has been approved for
clinical use.
“Einstein and Montefi ore
are perfectly placed to take a
lead role in the fi ght against
COVID-19 and help blunt the
impact of the pandemic not
only in our city, but around
the world,” said Dr. Gordon
Tomaselli, the Marilyn and
Stanley M. Katz dean at Einstein.
The Michael F. Price Center for Genetic and Translational Medicine and Harold and Muriel Block Research
Pavilion Courtesy of Montefi ore
BRONX TIMES R 6 EPORTER, JUNE 12-18, 2020 BTR
“With no natural immunity,
no vaccine, and no
approved treatments, this
pandemic requires all of us
to marshal our resources, focus
on the most pressing problems,
and devise meaningful
solutions. Mr. Price’s generous
gift is critically important
to us to take immediate steps
and is a clear call to action for
others to join the charge.”
In addition to the plasma
study, Einstein and Montefi
ore have a several current
and planned research projects
on the novel coronavirus:
A compound invented at
Einstein is now in clinical trials
in Brazil.
The team behind the antibody
test is working on developing
monoclonal (synthetic)
antibodies for a treatment.
Researchers at the Children’s
Hospital at Montefi
ore are contributing to research
on how the virus acts
in children.
Montefi ore-Einstein is a
site for numerous national
studies testing promising
drugs.
Einstein has also launched
the COVID-19 Research Collaboratories
to connect scientists
in a range of disciplines,
foster collaborations and facilitate
new investigations into
the virus. Pilot funding will
be provided to propel promising
research projects ahead.
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