The hub at the University of Edinburgh will use translational genomics – following clues from the human genome to identify and rapidly test new treatments – along with experimental medicine methods to quickly evaluate and develop drugs for lung inflammation and injury caused by infection.
Independent investment partnership Baillie Gifford is supporting the launch with a philanthropic gift of £14.7m, with the university aiming to secure £100m worth of investment in total.
As well as accelerating discoveries of treatments for Covid-19 and other human lung diseases, the Baillie Gifford Pandemic Science Hub aims to help prepare for future pandemics.
It will build on the success of 'GenOMICC' and 'STOPCOVID', two experimental medicine projects led by Professors Kenneth Baillie and Kev Dhaliwal, respectively.
Professor Baillie, GenOMICC’s chief investigator and professor of experimental medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said: “The generous...