From day one, our donors have stood alongside us in what we always knew would be a long journey: the critical mission to come to grips with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and ensure that communities everywhere are protected against its impacts.
One of our earliest breakthroughs was a vaccine candidate, engineered in our own laboratories, that could address new variants of the virus as they emerged - in other words, a universal COVID vaccine.
Our donor community has been an essential part of progressing this vital research, helping to fund the proof-of-concept studies that allowed us to refine the vaccine, and then backing the preclinical validation studies we needed before engaging with industry partners to progress further.
In parallel, we have been making significant strides towards understanding and tackling long COVID, a condition that can leave people with debilitating symptoms for months or even years.
Relatively early in the pandemic, researchers discovered that remnants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus can persist in various tissues and organs for extended periods - a phenomenon known as ‘viral persistence’.
What remains unknown is whether these remnants are simply leftover inactive fragments, or whether they are still ‘active’.
This distinction is critical because if the virus is still active, antiviral treatments could offer hope and relief for those suffering from long COVID.
With your support, we are now fast-tracking trials of existing antiviral treatments to better understand their impact on COVID-19, while also developing and testing new drugs in our laboratories.
Burnet Director and CEO Professor Brendan Crabb AC said he was optimistic that better treatments, and even a cure for long COVID, were within reach.
“The support of our donors is crucial to our scientific breakthroughs,” he said.
“Your generosity and commitment to Burnet’s mission is accelerating our progress towards finding and implementing solutions that will keep people safe from COVID-19, long COVID and future coronaviruses.”
Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we are making a difference.
