7 BRONX WEEKLY June 14, 2020 www.BXTimes.com
The Michael F. Price Center for Genetic and Translational Medicine and Harold and Muriel Block Research Pavilion
Courtesy of Montefi ore
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.
“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.
Politicians hold virtual
criminal justice town hall
BY JASON COHEN
With the recent killings of
George Floyd and Breonna Taylor
at the hands of the police and
countless others in the past,
elected offi cials and citizens
want cops held accountable.
On Thursday, Assemblyman
Michael Blake and Assemblywomen
Catalina Cruz and Nathalia
Fernandez held a virtual
criminal justice town hall,
where they refl ected on the past
10 days of riots, violence and the
Floyd murder.
“We have a responsibility
right now to change this world,”
Blake said emotionally. “Stop
looting, burning and busting up
our stores. You go back 99 years
in Tulsa, they didn’t just kill
black people, they burned our
businesses.”
The pols stressed the need to
repeal 50-A, which is scheduled
to be voted on next week.
On June 1, 85organizations
and elected offi cials sent a letter
to Governor Andrew Cuomo
asking him to pass Senator Jamaal
Bailey and Assemblyman
Dan O’Donnell’s bill to fully repeal
50-A, which would allow
the public to see the personnel
records of police offi cers, fi refi
ghters and corrections offi -
cers.
“The blatant police violence
experienced by New Yorkers is
unacceptable. The continued
police secrecy in New York enables
that police violence and
allows abusive offi cers to continue
to act with impunity,”
the letter stated. “We should be
able to look up the misconduct
and disciplinary records of every
offi cer who mass-pepper
sprayed, assaulted, blatantly
covered their badge numbers
and engaged in other abuse of
authority and violence against
New Yorkers.
Instead, we are left in the
dark and abusive police offi cers
are given special rights and
shielded because of 50-A. The
time to pass a full repeal of 50-A
is now.”
Assemblyman Blake was
quite emotional when speaking.
While Blake did not condone
the rioting and looting
and said he wanted people to be
peaceful, he felt acts of injustice
towards people of color by law
enforcement needed to end.
“They’re sick and tired of
black people being killed,” he
said.
The assemblyman said the
last 10 days were some of the
worst he had ever witnessed.
That is why he, Cruz and Fernandez
and many of their colleagues
want 50-A repealed.
“If you are going to hire
someone you should probably
know if they made mistakes
in terms of that career,” Blake
said. “The mayor had the audacity
to say cops showed discretion
even though they drove
cars into the crowd.”
Blake spoke about his fi rsthand
experience with racism.
He recalled that in high school
a police offi cer drove in the opposite
direction on Moshulu
Parkway and made him and his
friend get out of the car because
he heard them yelling.
In 2016 he was thrown
against a gate by a cop and was
only let go because another offi -
cer recognized him.
“I want you to respect me
and my brothers,” he said.
Fernandez echoed his concerns.
In 2018 she introduced legislation
that would make an
offi cer criminally negligent if
someone died while in their
custody, but it was deemed
too harsh. Now, in the wake
of George Floyd, she has reintroduced
it and hopes it gains
more traction.
“It’s about accountability,”
Fernandez said. “Our offi cers
will act different. They’ll try to
save our lives and not end our
lives.”
Activist Marvin Mayfi eld,
who was a key advocate in ending
cash bail, was the guest
speaker. Mayfi eld thanked the
elected for inviting him and
said the city and country are
in unprecedented times.
He called on Cuomo and
Mayor Bill de Blasio to come
together and bring peace to
New York.
However, he stressed the
issues of people of color being
targeted are nothing new, and
that the issues are more visible
now because of technology.
Mayfi eld added the police
should be defunded, not militarized.
“The times we’re in right
now are really disturbing,”
he said. “Nothing has ever
changed without the voices of
the oppressed rising up and we
will not accept the lynching of
modern day black people. We
will not submit to white supremacy.
We need legislators
who don’t cave into fear mongering
and racist agenda.”
Albert Einstein receives $1M
COVID-19 research grant
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