A B.C.-led research team developing treatments for COVID-19 has just landed $500,000 in funding from Telus Corp.
The West Coast telecom giant announced today (March 27) it would donate the sum to the efforts emerging from the Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC), Vancouver General Hospital and University of B.C. Hospital Foundation.
The team is also collaborating with scientists in the U.S. and Europe, and Ukrainian small-molecule supplier Enamine Ltd., to develop therapeutic antiviral treatments for COVID-19.
VPC specializes in precision cancer drug discovery and is now repurposing its platforms to tackle the pandemic.
Its artificial intelligence system accelerates the screening of 1.3 billion chemicals to shortlist 100 potential therapeutic compounds in one week.
Conventional methods could take up to three years.
