April 2020
THE OCR REPORT
COVID-19 Edition
A Message from Jon
During this unprecedented time, many Yale clinicians and scientists, together with University support, have dutifully joined the war against COVID-19. OCR is no exception. We are working to secure funding for a drug that shows promise for treating certain life-threatening effects of COVID-19, others have devised a way to distinguish intact viruses from one another which could be a revolutionary method in virus detection. Vaccines that were effective for Ebola are being researched for COVID-19 applications, and there are efforts to create solutions to the ventilator shortage. These are just some of the initiatives OCR is honored to support. Although we are all working remotely to maintain social distance, we are here to help in any way we can. As a team, we remain vigilant in our fight, dedicated to the response, and perhaps most importantly, hopeful. 
Jon Soderstrom
Managing Director
Yale Office of Cooperative Research
Yale OCR's COVID-19 Assets
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yale OCR has compiled a list of OCR assets, including project titles and contact information.
Our
News
Yale joins MIT, Harvard and Stanford to maximize access to innovations that can help address COVID-19

Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, How is Biotech Responding?
OCR Announces Virtual Office Hours Program During Pandemic
MindNest Health announces funding
Farmington biotech teams with Yale to pursue COVID-19 vaccine
Doctor discusses how parents can overcome challenges during the pandemic
News We're Following
Yale fibrosis drug may offer new treatment path for COVID-19 lung distress
Kleo Pharmaceuticals collaborates with Green Cross LabCell (GCLC) to develop COVID-19 combination therapy
Ancient Chinese medicine unlocks new possibilities for cancer treatment
IsoPlexis and Institute for Systems Biology partner to uncover the functional immune mechanisms behind COVID-19 response
Current COVID-19, state-wide industry news.
Faculty Spotlight
Naftali Kaminski, MD


Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary); Section Chief, Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine.
Overview of your current project
A new drug for lung fibrosis that began developing a few years ago and it shows promise for treating certain life-threatening effects of COVID-19. At present, we’re working to secure funding for a clinical trial. In lung fibrosis, the drug, called sobetirome, mimics the effects of thyroid hormone therapy, which heals scarring and improves cell function in lungs — but sobetirome lacks the toxic effects of thyroid hormone on heart and skeletal muscle.

My team, along with those of Dr. Charles Dela Cruz, director of Yale’s Center for Pulmonary Infection Research and Treatment, and Dr. Patty J. Lee, a former Yale faculty member now at Duke University — recently discovered that sobetirome also showed promise in preventing and treating Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), a life-threatening condition that allows fluid to leak into the lungs. ARDS is common in COVID-19 patients, particularly among older patients, and the condition can lead to respiratory failure and death.

It was surprising how effective sobetirome was in mouse models. We saw significant improvement. The drug has not yet been tested for ARDS in humans, but once we secure needed funding, we can quickly move it to trial and FDA approval.

Share this email on social media!
FOLLOW OCR
ON SOCIAL MEDIA