Accelerated development and clinical evaluation of immunotherapies for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19

1) Laboratory: Establishment and support for critical PC3 laboratory infrastructure to take at least two complementary, immunotherapies, that can be rapidly scaled up, from bench to bedside through development of a suite of vital viral assays for assessing in vitro efficacy of candidate approaches including: developing hyperimmune Ig; neutralising monoclonal antibodies with the Garvan; and thereafter small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 from UNSW collaborators. 2) Clinical: Establishment of clinical trial capacity to design, develop and conduct early phase and Phase 2a/b and 3 clinical trials of leading approaches through both local and international networks such as INSIGHT. Outcomes: Completed Phase 1b/2a trial of Hyperimmune Ig by Oct 2020, commence phase 2B/3 trial by Jan 2021 Identification of lead monoclonal antibody and preparation of clinical grade batch for clinical trial by Dec 2020, Commence Phase 1a trial Jan 2021 Provide a platform for rapid PC3 in vitro screening of lead antiviral candidates: e.g. si/shRNAs, and other small molecules from across campus