Harvard-China agreement aims to study new coronavirus

Harvard scientists are teaming up with researchers in China as part of a new five-year agreement to develop new diagnostics and therapies against the novel coronavirus that has continued to spread around the world. The $115 million deal will bring together researchers at Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Guangzhou Institute for Respiratory Health to study the new virus from basic science, clinical research, and epidemiology angles. The U.S. efforts are being led by Harvard biologist George Daley, and his counterpart in China is Zhong Nanshan, who is also heading the China National Health Commission's task force set up to investigate the new virus.

Separately, GSK announced today that it was teaming up with a Chinese company called Clover Biopharmaceuticals to develop a vaccine for Covid-19.