Photo courtesy UAB Media Relations.
Frances E. Lund is the Charles H. McCauley Professor and Chair for the UAB Department of Microbiology. Six labs at UAB — including three in Lund’s department — are collaborating with biopharmaceutical company Altimmune Inc. for preclinical testing of a potential COVID-19 vaccine.
In this weekly online feature, we keep track of interesting people and events on campus, including the university’s ongoing efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UAB announced recently that activities and events scheduled to take place on campus during the spring semester were being canceled in an effort to minimize the spread of the novel coronavirus.
In addition, UAB academics is operating in an online/alternative format with no in-person instruction for the remainder of the term.
For the latest updates on UAB’s response to COVID-19 and health information, visit uab.edu/coronavirus.
TESTING A VACCINE
UAB is launching a collaboration with biopharmaceutical company Altimmune Inc. for preclinical testing of a potential COVID-19 vaccine, according to UAB Media Relations.
The testing at UAB will investigate immune responses to the vaccine in mice. This is necessary before Altimmune, based in Maryland, can launch a Phase 1 trial in humans in the third quarter of 2020.
The COVID-19 vaccine, called AdCOVID, is a single-dose vaccine candidate that is delivered by an intranasal spray.
“It is critical that the biotechnology industry and academic institutions work together to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, and UAB is an ideal partner to support us in this effort,” said Vipin K. Garg, Altimmune president and CEO, in a news release.
“The expertise and infrastructure at UAB will be invaluable to the rapid progression of this vaccine into clinical studies," said Frances E. Lund, the Charles H. McCauley Professor and Chair for the UAB Department of Microbiology.
Six UAB labs will work together on this urgent collaboration with Altimmune.
Troy Randall, professor of medicine in the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, and Kevin Harrod, professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, will both run labs.
There will also be three other labs in the Department of Microbiology labs led by Rodney King, an assistant professor; Todd Green, associate professor; and John Kearney, a professor.
COVID-19 TREATMENT
UAB will take part in a global clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of novel therapeutic agents in hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19, according to UAB Media Relations.
The drug remdesivir is the first agent to be evaluated.
The UAB site was activated on March 25 by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. This means that enrollment in this Phase 3 therapeutic clinical trial can begin immediately.
Dr. Paul Goepfert, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, serves as UAB’s principal investigator for this study, which will be conducted in up to 75 sites globally.
“Remdesivir worked well in the test tube and animal models against a close relative of COVID-19,” Goepfert said. “We are very excited to have the opportunity to rapidly determine whether this drug will help treat hospitalized patients with COVID-19 here at UAB.”
PPE DONATIONS
Birmingham-area residents have several options if they wish to donate personal protective equipment, or PPE, to help protect healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak at UAB Hospital and other facilities.
UAB Medicine is accepting donations of commercially manufactured, new and unopened PPE items, according to UAB Media Relations
These following items are being accepted:
- Isolation gowns
- Disinfectant wipes (PDI, Clorox, etc.)
- Hand sanitizer
- Face protection (shields and/or goggles)
- Fluid-impervious gowns or aprons
- Procedural/surgical masks
- N95 masks
- Nitrile gloves
Those wishing to make a donation should go to uabmedicine.org/ppe-form and complete the form.
At this time, UAB has not and does not intend to accept homemade masks and items due to the difficulty of verifying that those products are sterile and meet required standards.
If a PPE donation is approved by the UAB Supply Chain team, it can be delivered to a collection site at 801 Fifth Ave. S. that is open ,Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Jefferson County Department of Health, working in conjunction with the Jefferson County Healthcare Coalition, is also accepting donations.
A complete list of items being accepted by JCDH and the Healthcare Coalition, including donation hours and where to deliver items, can be found on the JCDH website by clicking here.
Those looking to donate homemade masks and other items can deliver them to the Christian Service Mission warehouse at 3600 Third Ave. South, Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m.-noon. If you have questions regarding these donations, call the Healthcare Coalition Coordination Center at 205-254-2550 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on weekdays.
