business backgrounder | innovation
Washington’s Best Lead Coronavirus Battle
From Seattle to Pullman, some of the world’s best scientists and
researchers are working around the clock to better understand
and contain the deadly coronavirus.
Andrew Lenderman
Washington scientists and researchers are at the forefront of the global fight to contain the
coronavirus. Researchers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the University of
Washington, Washington State University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the
Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute are just a few examples of the many
talented professionals dedicated to learning more about the virus. And critically, the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation has dedicated significant resources to address the pandemic.
At A Glance
In March, Kaiser Permanente
Washington Health Research
Institute gave the first-ever
injection of an investigational
vaccine for the novel coronavirus
to volunteers in Seattle,
highlighting Washington’s role
as a research center in the global
response to the coronavirus.
Dr. Jim Kublin (left) and colleagues prepare samples for a “controlled human infection” trial in 2016.
Volunteers were willingly infected with malaria to test a new drug. The yellow light was necessary to
keep the pathogens alive. Now, Kublin, a principal staff scientist in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease
Division of Fred Hutch, is weighing the risks and benefits of trials that would use live COVID-19
virus to test vaccines. (Photo: Robert Hood/Fred Hutch News Service)
Washington State University has
made major discoveries related
to a protein that signals deadly
immune system responses to
the disease, and is working
with private industry to develop
treatments.
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center in Seattle is at
the center of the nation’s work to
create new vaccines.
The road to a safer world runs through Washington.
From Seattle to Pullman, many prominent researchers are working to better
understand, manage and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Their efforts are backed
by strong universities, nonprofits and entrepreneurs working to create a more hopeful
future for humanity.
In March, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute gave the first-ever
injection of an investigational vaccine for the novel coronavirus to volunteers in Seattle,
highlighting Washington’s role as a research center in the global response to the coronavirus.
summer 2020
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