May 21, 2020
Keio University
Tokyo Medical and Dental University
Osaka University
The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo
Tokyo Institute of Technology
Kitasato University
Kyoto University
The world is now facing the unprecedented threat of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). As of May 19, 2020, 4.8 million people have been infected and more than 300,000 have lost their lives worldwide, and the future course of the pandemic remains completely unpredictable. To overcome this threat, it is an urgent task for the global community to work together to scientifically elucidate this infectious disease from various aspects and, based on this understanding, develop accurate diagnostic methods, predictors of severe illness, and effective therapeutic drugs and vaccines.
To this end, Keio University, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Osaka University, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kitasato University, and Kyoto University have launched the "Japan COVID-19 Task Force," a joint research group of experts from different fields, including infectious disease, virology, molecular genetics, genomic medicine, and computational science ( │Japan COVID-19 Task Force ).
One of the greatest threats of COVID-19 is that many severely ill patients suddenly become critically ill in a short period. Saving their lives requires significant medical resources. This task force will use cutting-edge genome analysis technology to clarify the genetic basis of the mechanisms by which COVID-19 becomes severe, and will also develop an effective mucosal vaccine against the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).
Specifically, focusing on the fact that the per capita death toll from COVID-19 in Japan is overwhelmingly lower than in Western countries, the task force will search for disease susceptibility genes related to the severity of COVID-19 that are specific to the Japanese population by comparing severely ill patients with mild or asymptomatic infected individuals in Japan. Based on the findings obtained, we will not only provide therapeutic predictions for COVID-19 clinical care in the future but also aim to develop an effective mucosal vaccine based on our proprietary patented technology.
This research is supported by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED).
For the full press release, please see below.