University of Kentucky Research Team Has Work Highlighted in AAAS' Science Journal

A group of University of Kentucky professors and scientists’ efforts to identify possible direct therapeutic approaches to treat COVID-19 was published in the Perspectives section of the most recent issue of Science, a journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). "Rapid repurposing of drugs for COVID-19," is authored by Kip Guy, dean of UK College of Pharmacy; Robert DiPaola, dean of the UK College of Pharmacy; Frank Romanelli, professor in the UK College of Pharmacy; and Rebecca Dutch, professor in the UK College of Medicine. The article details the approach to repurpose approved drugs that are currently developed for other uses.

Time is a critical component in the race for therapeutic development, especially as we continue to learn more about COVID-19 and how quickly it spreads compared to other strains of coronavirus. Supportive care is currently the only available treatment for COVID-19 patients -- most of whom recover within one to three weeks -- though some patients develop severe illness that can progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which can be deadly.

To address the need for rapid discoveries in the treatment of COVID-19, the College of Medicine launched a transdisciplinary, cross-campus team with the Office of the Vice President for Research to develop activities in the laboratory and clinical trials: the COVID-19 Unified Research Experts (CURE) Alliance. This team, with leaders from UK's Markey Cancer Center, College of Medicine and College of Pharmacy, worked together to launch a clinical trial for experimental therapies to treat patients in Kentucky who are infected with COVID-19.

Read the full article from UK here.