.@NIHDirector to testify today at 10:00 am ET w/@CDCDirector & @BARDA Gary Disbrow before Senate Appropriations LHHS Subcommittee on Operation Warp Speed – developing a safe & effective #COVID19 Vaccine. @NIH will live tweet his remarks. Watch LIVE here: bit.ly/3ghZitq
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: #NIH is at the forefront of research to address #COVID19 public health emergency. We need answers to many urgent questions about how to diagnose, treat&prevent this disease. NIH’s mission to help find those answers, using best science&tech in the world.
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: When it comes to new infectious diseases, knowledge is power. #COVID19 is a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. The distinctive array of spiky proteins on its surface open the door to infection. Once inside a cell, it takes over&begins replicating #NIH 
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: Based on hard work, we now have better means of treating #COVID19 than just a few months ago. Remdesivir and dexamethasone have proven beneficial in rigorous trials and are now standard of care for hospitalized patients. #NIH
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: Testing in the US has also come a long way: 30M+ tests for presence of the #COVID19 have been administered in the last few months, more than in any other nation. Yet these tests are not entirely satisfactory for the needs at hand. #NIH
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: Scaling to rapid, routine point-of-care testing would be a major advantage but requires new tech. To help, Congress gave resources for development of new #COVID19 tests. 4 days later, #NIH launched Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics—or #RADx—initiative.
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: #RADx aims to speed dev of testing technologies & fast-tracking most promising through a 3-phase innovation funnel. In ~2mo, #NIH received 2.4K+ expressions of interest, 560+ completed app. 23 are already undergoing intense validation in Phase 1.
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: By fall, we expect that the winning technology—or technologies—will make it possible to deploy several million tests each week. (More on #RADx here: nih.gov/research-train…) #NIH
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: But it’s not enough to diagnose this disease. We must treat it, and, as soon as possible, prevent it. To that end, #NIH has launched the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines, or #ACTIV, Initiative: nih.gov/research-train…
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: In 2 months, #ACTIV developed 5 master protocols to accelerate research trials & hasten @US_FDA review. These will rigorously test a series of antivirals, anticoagulants, immunomodulators & monoclonal antibody Txs in inpatient & outpatient settings #NIH
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: Supported by Operation Warp Speed, we expect four treatment trials to get underway in the next six weeks—and we’re quite excited about their potential for success. #NIH
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: Still, the ultimate tool we need to end the #COVID19 pandemic is a vaccine. Operation Warp Speed & #ACTIV are working together intensively on vaccine development. A scientific review of more than 50 vaccine candidates has already been conducted. #NIH
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: Furthest along in US testing is experimental vaccine from #NIH’s Vaccine Research Center, in partnership w/@Moderna_tx. It uses non-infectious snippet of mRNA to spur the body to make viral spike proteins, encouraging production of protective antibodies
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: A Phase 2 #clinicaltrial of this #COVID19 vaccine candidate began on May 29th. This month, #NIH plans to launch a Phase 3 clinical trial that will seek to enroll 30,000 volunteers, with results expected in a few months.
.@NIHDirector on the Hill: We are making significant strides at unprecedented speed in developing diagnostics, therapeutics & vaccines for #COVID19. Yet far more work is needed to end this global health crisis. With your support, #NIH is on the case!
