Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Modern approaches for developing antivirals against SARS-CoV 2

Project description

Coordinated multi-disciplinary effort to develop therapy against coronavirus outbreaks

Response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and future coronavirus outbreaks requires an organised effort and the rapid translation of scientific findings to industry partners. The EU-funded MAD-CoV 2 project has assembled a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and innovative industry partners to study the virus infections in host cells and rapidly translate knowledge into new medicines and public health measures. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a promising drug target for treating cardiovascular diseases and also serves as the cell entry point for some coronaviruses. The objectives of MAD-CoV 2 are to uncover the role of ACE2 in viral replication and COVID-19 pathogenesis and translate this knowledge into novel therapies to fight coronavirus outbreaks. Moreover, the project will develop new strategies for developing antivirals against SARS-CoV2 and other emerging viral diseases.

Objective

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has become an unprecedented burden to public health, our civil societies and the global economy. To provide frontline therapies for COVID-19 and future corona virus outbreaks requires a concerted effort of different disciplines, technologies, high security labs, and rapid translation of scientific findings to highly innovative and “hungry” SME partners. For the MAD-CoV-2 project we have assembled a multidisciplinary team of world-leading researchers and innovative industry partners to unlock the Achille’s heels of the virus infections in host cells and rapidly translate such knowledge into disruptive new medicines and public health measures. Our team members have been on the ground of the first SARS and Ebola outbreaks, head containment facilities to study highly infectious viruses, are world-leading in engineering human tissues, developed breakthrough technologies that allow us to find host factors for viral infections at unmatched speed and resolution, and discovered ACE2 and made the first in vivo link between ACE2, SARS, and lung injury, leading to rational drug development which is imminent to be tested in European COVID-19 patients. ACE2 is also the key receptor for SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and has got centre stage for novel therapies and a fundamental understanding of COVID-19. The aims of MAD-CoV-2 are 1. to engineer human tissues to test novel therapies and vaccines; 2. to provide critical evidence on the role of clinical grade ACE2 in viral replication and COVID-19 pathogenesis; 3. to perform high-throughput screens to genetically map, at a single amino acid resolution, essential host factor that are critical for SARS-CoV-2 replication; and 4. to rapidly translate this knowledge into novel therapies to fight the current and, importantly, future corona virus outbreaks.
Our data and unique tissue reagents will be made available to the entire community for drug testing and development, supporting all other efforts.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

RIA - Research and Innovation action

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-JTI-IMI2-2020-21-single-stage

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

STATENS VETERINAERMEDICINSKA ANSTALT
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 279 931,25
Address
Ulls Vaeg 2B
751 89 UPPSALA
Sweden

See on map

Region
Östra Sverige Östra Mellansverige Uppsala län
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 279 931,25

Participants (9)

My booklet 0 0