Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that Canada will be contributing $850 million towards the global fight against COVID-19, specifically to aid in vaccine research and development.
After speaking with global leaders to discuss treatments and vaccines, Trudeau says Canada has invested both nationally and internationally.
$175 million of the fund will be allocated to Vancouver company AbCellera, in an effort to support discovery of treatments against the virus as well as build a manufacturing facility for antibody drugs.
“We all share a common goal: ending this pandemic,” said Prime Minister Trudeau on Monday.
The support comes from the Canadian government under Innovation, Science and Economic Development, as a part of the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF).
AbCellera’s antibody discovery platform is being used to search blood samples of patients who have recovered from COVID-19, and to aid in the discovery of antibodies that can be used to treat and prevent the disease.
Since receiving one of the first North American samples from a recovered patient on February 25th, AbCellera has identified over 500 unique human anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies as part of a collaboration with the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the US National Institutes of Health.
Antibodies discovered by the company may also be used to create new diagnostic tests to support the medical community in monitoring the spread of COVID-19.
AbCellera previously announced a partnership with Eli Lilly and Company that looks to develop a treatment for COVID-19 with the goal of beginning clinical trials in July 2020.
