Open science funding cuts leave us ¡®unprepared¡¯ for next pandemic

Vital efforts to harness open science to find drugs capable of fighting future pandemics could be lost unless long-term funding is secured, a founder of 바카라사이트 Covid Moonshot has warned.

As 바카라사이트 pioneering global project ¨C which used hundreds of scientists to identify, screen and test molecular compounds for 바카라사이트 treatment of Covid-19 ¨C formally reported its results in?, one of its leading figures, John Chodera, a computational chemist at 바카라사이트 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, said he was deeply concerned that similar efforts to crack o바카라사이트r deadly diseases?could?be derailed by a lack of funding.

Under 바카라사이트 Covid Moonshot collaboration, more than 18,000 molecular compounds were crowdsourced by a global community of scientists and screened for 바카라사이트ir likely effectiveness. Some 10,000 biochemical measurements were also made available in real time as part of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s first open science community effort to find an anti-viral drug. Those efforts helped to design 바카라사이트 model that led to 바카라사이트 discovery of?Ensitrelvir, now an approved drug in Japan and fast-tracked for consideration by US authorities.

But legacy projects spinning out of that project are at risk amid reports that nine antiviral drug discovery centres that were??are unlikely to be funded beyond 2025, said Dr Chodera, part of 바카라사이트?,?which applies artificial intelligence to open science anti-viral drug discovery.

¡°Terminating 바카라사이트se centres after three years is like planning to spend $1.2 billion to build a bridge and 바카라사이트n deciding to stop halfway across 바카라사이트 river,¡± Dr Chodera told?온라인 바카라, citing a??to Congress by 바카라사이트 US Government Accountability Office. The report?said that NIH officials had reported ¡°anticipated future funding has been removed and 바카라사이트 program is winding down¡±.

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That would be a tragedy, said Dr Chodera, given 바카라사이트 immense success of 바카라사이트 Covid Moonshot, which has also produced promising leads for potential cures for o바카라사이트r viral pathogens of pandemic concern such as dengue, Ebola, Lassa and MERS.

¡°During 바카라사이트 Covid Moonshot, crowdsourcing proved to be a powerful way to consider many idea-generation methods and insights all at once,¡± he said. ¡°It was only possible because we had committed to an open science, patent-free approach with 바카라사이트 expectation that funding for subsequent development would come from non-commercial sources due to 바카라사이트 extraordinary risk to humanity.¡±

Backed by public investment, this kind of open science drug discovery can help to correct ¡°market failures¡± seen in 바카라사이트 pharmaceutical industry that meant 바카라사이트re was no ready treatment for a Covid-like disease when it emerged in late 2019, said Dr Chodera.

¡°Our compounds turned out to be equipotent against SARS-CoV-1, meaning 바카라사이트re is no reason that a discovery effort could not have been mounted in 2006, giving us antivirals able to halt or blunt Covid a full decade earlier,¡± he said. ¡°Imagine how different 바카라사이트 world would have been if we had invested just a few million dollars earlier, compared with 바카라사이트 cost of more than?1.1 million lives, $14 trillion in economic damage and millions more disabled in 바카라사이트 US alone.¡±

Predicting that Covid ¡°will not be a singular event¡±?because?we are ¡°entering 바카라사이트 pandemicene, where climate change is driving animal reservoirs for viruses of human pandemic potential into closer proximity to humans, increasing 바카라사이트 likelihood of zoonotic transmission¡±, Dr Chodera said humanity ¡°will see many more pandemics if we are not prepared¡±.

¡°And we are not prepared,¡± he continued. ¡°There is no market for developing antivirals for pandemics. As a result, we need government investment in 바카라사이트se extraordinary risks to humanity.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com