Fighting coronavirus: UAE to begin work on drug against Covid-19

A ground-breaking research project to develop an antiviral drug for Covid-19 has been rolled out in the UAE.

The social initiative Sandooq Al Watan and the University of Sharjah signed research agreements to launch the project, according to a report posted on Twitter by the Abu Dhabi Media Office (ADMO).

Introduced under Sandooq Al Watan's applied research and development programme (SWARD), the research project aims to design a dual-inhibitor antiviral drug to treat SARS-CoV2 (the Covid-19 virus) which would be able to block "major enzymes" required for viral infection.

.@sandooqalwatan and @uSharjah have signed research agreements to launch a ground-breaking project to develop an antiviral drug for COVID-19, under Sandooq Al Watan's Applied Research and Development programme 'SWARD'. pic.twitter.com/3k0KwhUrIL

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"The new proposed product will provide a platform to overcome any possible drug resistance or evolved future viral outbreaks," the ADMO added in the tweet.

The project was part of the three research grants awarded by Sandooq Al Watan to support the UAE's efforts to combat the spread of the virus.  

The other two, awarded to the University of Sharjah and New York University- Abu Dhabi, will focus on developing solutions for detecting Covid-19 in patients through a rapid, simple, scalable, and cost-effective method.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

Ismail Sebugwaawo

A professional journalist originating from Kampala, Uganda, Ismail is a happy father with strong attachment to family and great values for humanity. He has practiced journalism in UAE for the past 13 years, covering the country's parliament (FNC) and crimes, including Abu Dhabi Police, public prosecution and courts. He also reports about important issues in education, public health and the environment, with a keen interest in human interest stories. When out of reporting duties, he serves the Ugandan community in Abu Dhabi as he wants to see his countrymen happy. Exercising and reading are part of his free time.