Donations enable additional COVID-19 research

The Einhorn Family Foundation and the Foundation for International Oncological Cooperation donates nearly 600 000 SEK to support COVID-19 research at Uppsala University and SciLifeLab.

Some people develop severe immunological reactions when infected by the coronavirus, while others hardly display any symptoms at all. To help find out why that is, the Einhorn Foundation has donated 500 000 SEK to a project led by Björn Olsen, Senior Physician, and Professor of Infectious Medicine at Uppsala University.

Once the virus has infected an individual, the immune system may enter a hyperactive state known as a cytokine storm which can be life-threatening. The goal of the project is to develop a research platform and analyze how cells from different parts of the respiratory tract react to COVID-19 virus infections with different genetic variations.

“We are extremely grateful for and welcome this initiative from the Einhorn Family Foundation. The donation supports research that can help us understand and fight the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, I’d like to thank SciLifeLab’s management, which quickly collected and assessed project proposals from all over Sweden, coordinating Swedish research efforts in an exemplary way. Thanks to SciLifeLab’s teamwork, we can ensure that donations will reach the projects where they will have the greatest impact,” says Professor Eva Åkesson, vice-chancellor at Uppsala University, in a press release from Uppsala University.

Another 100 000 SEK was donated to the Uppsala University efforts within the frame of SciLifeLab, by the foundation Stiftelsen för Internationellt Onkologiskt Samarbete – to explore the impact of COVID-19 on cancer treatment patients in a project led by Gunilla Enblad (SciLifeLab/UU).

Learn more about the 67 COVID-19 research programs at SciLifeLab approved for funding here.