BioMed X, an independent research institute that identifies big biomedical research challenges and provides innovative solutions by combining global crowdsourcing with local incubation, announces the launch of its new Rapid Antiviral Response Platform (RAR).

In response to the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, BioMed X strives to develop an arsenal of ultrafast new antiviral drug discovery, development and mass-manufacturing tools that will allow to go from the identification of a new viral pathogen to 10,000 doses of a safe and potent new medication in less than 6 months.

Christian Tidona, Founder & Managing Director of the BioMed X Institute and initiator of the RAR Platform:“SARS-CoV-2 is a serious threat for global public health and the global economy. Current drug discovery, development and mass-manufacturing processes are far too slow to respond to a viral pandemic like COVID-19. To avoid a lockdown of the global economy in the future, we need completely new technologies which are at least ten times faster than the present state-of-the-art. This is what our RAR Platform intends to deliver.”

The RAR Platform will be developed using BioMed X’s successful new innovation model which brings together the best early-career biomedical scientists from top universities and research institutions all over the world to work on solutions for big research challenges in the fields of biomedicine, molecular biology, cell biology and diagnostics. Until now, each research project at BioMed X has been sponsored by an industry partner such as Merck, Boehringer Ingelheim, Janssen, AbbVie, and Roche.

“Our new initiative is aimed at all pharmaceutical companies, foundations, public health organizations, government agencies and healthcare funds world-wide who would like to pioneer this field of research and who want to make a real impact for society. At the end of the five-year research and development project, all members of the RAR Consortium will receive equal world-wide rights to use all components of the resulting Rapid Antiviral Response Platform for any commercial or non-commercial purpose.” Tidona continues.

The RAR Platform will consist of eight project modules, each focusing on a different viral target space across a wide variety of virus genera infecting humans or animals. Each organization who joins the RAR Consortium can freely choose to support one of these eight project modules.

BioMed X is an independent research institute located on the campus of the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Together with their partners, they identify big biomedical research challenges and provide creative solutions by combining global crowdsourcing with local incubation of the world’s brightest early-career research talents. Each of the highly diverse research teams at BioMed X has access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure and is continuously guided by experienced mentors from academia and industry. BioMed X,  combines the best of two worlds – academia and industry – and enable breakthrough innovation by making biomedical research more efficient, more agile, and more fun.