Jack Ma Foundation donated RMB 20 million (USD 2.85 million) to support the research on treatments for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), conducted by five Chinese academicians Wangchen, Zhong Nanshan, Lisong, Dingjian and Zhang Boli.

This afternoon, Jack Ma Foundation signed a donation framework agreement with Chinese Academy of Engineering, to support the development of treatments for the novel coronavirus.

Jack Ma Foundation has already announced a donation of RMB 100 million (USD 14.26 million) to surport the research and development of coronavirus disease treatments and vaccines. The donation to the Chinese Academy of Engineering is part of it.

Five Academicians conducted research on drug screen and development for the novel coronavirus

Based on the research plan proposed by the academicians, the Chinese Academy of Engineering decided to work on the development of the most urgently needed medicines, setting up 5 related research projects, conducted by Academicians Wang Chen, Zhong Nanshan, Li Song, Ding Jian, and Zhang Boli. These projects are as follows：

Research on the efficiency and safety of Radixivir against the novel coronavirus, led by Academician Wang Chen;

Research on drug screening and mechanisms against the novel coronavirus, led by Academician Zhong Nanshan;

Research on industrialization of Radixivir and its injection against the novel coronavirus, led by Academician Li Song;

Research on the development of emergency drugs against the novel coronavirus, led by Academician Ding Jian;

Research on treatments for the novel coronavirus with traditional Chinese medicine, led by Academician Zhang Boli.

The projects includes research on development of new drugs, verification of clinical application, industrialization of medicine, and both Chinese and Western medicines. Each project has a minimum research period of three months and a maximum of one year, with a funding of RMB 4 million (USD 0.57 million) .

Li Song’s team said that Radixivir is most potential treatment for the novel coronavirus. However, the drug is not yet approved. The original R&D company, Gilead, only has 7000-10,000 bottles of powder needles, which is enough to serve 800 people. It is far from meeting the current needs of infection prevention and control in China.

The expection of the project led by Li Song is that, in an emergency situation, daily production is enough for clinical use after two months. The project is to complete the intermediate test and industrialization of Radixivir within three months, to complete the pharmaceutical research of Radixivir injection within six months, and to get an approval of novel coronavirus drugs from the National Medical Products Administration within 10 months.

According to Xinhua News, with the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Health Commission, the National Medical Products Administration and other departments, Radixivir has completed the registration clinical trials. Patients with severe pneumonia started to receive new medicines on February 6.

Jack Ma said that he would help support the development and accumulation of medical science

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the Jack Ma Foundation has cooperated with Alibaba to actively support transportation of medical supplies. On January 29, the Foundation established a special fund to donate RMB 100 million (USD 14.26 million) to support the development of related treatments and vaccines. The Chinese Academy of Engineering and the Chinese Academy of Sciences each received a donation of RMB 20 million (USD 2.85 million) and RMB 6 million (USD 0.86 million) was donated to the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, a team led by Academician Zhong Nanshan to develop treatments for critically ill patients. The remaining funds will be used to support top scientific institutions and outstanding scientific researchers to cooperate in the research and prevention of the novel coronaviruses all over the world.

On the day when the donation was announced, Jack Ma said, “Although researchers are devoting themselves to develop treatments and vaccines against the novel coronavirus, it is hard to get it done in a short period of time. We hope that the epidemic can be completely controlled before the vaccine is developed, but we also know that the struggle between humans and the virus is a long road, which requires more patience, accumulation, confidence and hope. “

Jack Ma said: Public welfare is a good medicine to treat the Earth and humanity. Today Ali people can do something for others, which is a huge trust given by the society. He and the Jack Ma Foundation will do their best to provide more help for the development and accumulation of medical science.

Alibaba Group also announced that it will open all AI computing power for free to public scientific research institutions to research and develop drugs and vaccines. It hopes to call for and support all scientific researchers and research institutions to work together to gather human and material resources to give people confidence to overcome the novel coronavirus.

Previously, Alibaba had set up a special fund of RMB 1 billion (USD 142.63 million) for medical supplies, and set up a health insurance fund of up to RMB 500,000 (USD 71,313) for national medical staff fighting against the epidemic.

Chinese Academy of Engineering

The Chinese Academy of Engineering is the highest-level academic institution in China. In the battle against the novel coronavirus, The party group of the Chinese Academy of Engineering immediately responded to the call of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and urged all academicians to make suggestions. Academicians such as Zhong Nanshan and Li Lanjuan rushed to the forefront of the fight against the novel coronavirus, providing important suggestions and support for national epidemic prevention and control, and becoming the heroes who have drawn much attention in the battle against the novel coronavirus.