Virtual Research Institute Fights Long COVID With Assistance From Ethereum Co-Creator Vitalik Buterin • TechCrunch

New non-profit ‘startup’ emerges from stealth today, raises $15 million in funding from Ethereum co-creator Vitalik Buterinfocused squarely on research and treatment long covid.

on the other hand, The global pandemic may be nearing an end Millions of people around the world are still suffering from the long-term effects of COVID-19. According to research, somewhere between 20% When 40% of people infected with COVID-19 You will experience at least some long-lasting symptoms ranging from mild fatigue and “brain fog” to more severe debilitating conditions such as headaches, illness, muscle weakness and respiratory problems.

The truth of the matter is that we simply Don’t know enough about long COVID And how best to treat it, this is the Long Covid Research Initiative (LCRI) is trying to do that.

LCRI is spearheaded by a quartet of founders, one of whom is Dr. Amy Proaleminent microbiologist Polybio Research Foundation With more than a decade of experience studying long-COVID-like conditions, ProAl ME/CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), which is similar to Long COVID, and has been a patient for nearly 20 years.Proal is henry scott greena London-based product manager who has taken a break from his day-to-day work at Google’s YouTube for the past two years due to long COVID. Helga Gutmann, a former KKR investor. and former SaaS startup founder Nick Harrold.

Dr. Amy Proal, LCRI

move quickly to fix things

Scott-Green first contracted COVID in August 2020, and in the months and years since, symptoms he’s experienced include what he calls “crushing fatigue” and brain fog. “He’s improved a lot over the past year thanks to various treatments. At worst, he was so sick he couldn’t even do basic work,” he explained to TechCrunch.

However, his experience in trying to treat his condition, including working with medical professionals, has led him to where he is today.

“Two years ago, very few people, including doctors, knew about long COVID, and it was difficult to even get a diagnosis,” said Scott Green. “I was lucky to finally go to a great specialist who helped me a lot, but many people are not so lucky. It remains a big problem for a large number of people.”

LCRI is effectively UK-led but formally belongs to the US-based PolyBio Research Foundation. 501(c)(3) non-profit organization are focused on Studying complex chronic inflammatory diseases. Despite its non-profit status, the LCRI founder’s technical background serves as the foundation for a more “lean” startup, which Scott-Green called a “global public health emergency”, i.e. It may solve Long COVID.

Indeed, like some government-led funding programs and initiatives, it was well-intentioned and rigorous, but Scott-Green said his experience was that things were moving too slowly. “Urgency and pragmatism” in startups.

“Long-term COVID research programs that rely solely on government funding will take a long time to show results,” he said. We recognized the need to get people to act faster and get quicker answers.”

To support his mission, the founder has amassed an impressive collection of research team Renowned institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale, UCSF and Johns Hopkins University, philanthropists and experts from the patient community will work together towards a long COVID solution.

“We operate as a lean organization that prioritizes fast execution and close collaboration. In general, technology can take large, ambitious projects quickly if it makes sense. “We are trying to apply organizational principles that allow us to provide “This will bring together a team of the world’s best researchers to work together on a not-so-common model to fulfill our mission of solving disease and a shared research roadmap to address some of the world’s most pressing problems.” I was able to run a space.”

LCRI’s Henry Scott Green

virtual laboratory

The remote and collaborative nature of LCRI (none of the founding teams have met in person) effectively makes LCRI a virtual research institute. And to achieve that mission, we plan to adopt a two-pronged approach that spans research and therapy.

In the early research phase, scientists from the world’s most respected institutions will share their collective expertise to study the disease mechanisms that make up Long COVID. Subsequent clinical trials will seek to apply the findings of the research program to actual treatments.

Of course, this isn’t something that comes for free, and that’s where today’s funding announcement comes in. Buterin, better known as one of the creators of the Ethereum blockchain, has invested around $15 million. USDC Stablecoin through $100 million Prize money,He set earlier this year Especially for COVID research projects. Additionally, LCRI has secured a commitment from his Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation (CSSFF), a charity headed by surgeons, scientists and billionaire businessmen. Patrick Soon Siong philanthropist’s wife Michele B. Chan.

“Balvi and Vitalik reached out to Amy to ask about supporting her research project, and a partnership developed from there,” says Scott-Green. “CSSFF has committed to a minimum contribution, but the final amount is still under discussion.”

$15 million is a decent start for LCRI, but it likely won’t be enough in the long run, so we are targeting around $100 million in funding over the next few years. epstein barr virus When enterovirusBut first, they need to understand the long COVID.

“In a year or two, we hope to raise more funding for Long COVID research and move large-scale research and clinical trial programs forward,” Scott-Green continued. We have the first results from the program and we can use those results to inform our clinical trial efforts.Our sole focus is on finding answers for people suffering from long COVID, Our goal is to understand disease mechanisms and identify treatment options.”