The world is waging an historic fight against the coronavirus.

The outcome may be determined by an elite group of scientists and billionaires who formed an independent coronavirus research group and have been working in secret behind closed doors.

Formed and led by venture capitalist and physician Tom Cahill, the group includes 12 scientists who specialize in neurobiology, epidemiology, nuclear science, immunobiology, and other fields.

In fact, speaking of the group and its high caliber of talent, biologist Michael Rosbash, who won a Nobel Prize in 2017 said, ‘There’s no question that I’m the least qualified.’

Other team members include Akiko Iwasaki, Professor of Immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine; Lynn Goldman, Dean and Professor at the George Washington University; Stuart Schreiber, a Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, and others.

Originally revealed to the public in an article by The Wall Street Journal’s Rob Copeland, the “Manhattan Project-esque” group, called Scientists to Stop COVID-19, released a 17-page report and action plan that has made its way to the highest levels of government—President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force.

The WSJ article said Cahill used connections made through his investment firm to tap the resources of several billionaires to back the group and give it more clout with the White House. Some of those supporters include Peter Thiel, Jim Palotta and Michael Milken.

“We are a group of passionate citizen-scientists who offer four actionable, non-partisan proposals to produce safe and effective COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines in the shortest possible timeframe and to reopen our society in a manner that reduces the risk of future COVID-19 outbreaks,” the group said in its report.

The plan details: (1) How to rapidly repurpose an antiviral drug to treat COVID-19 patients; (2) How to expedite the development of human antibody drugs to treat patients and to provide short-term protection for healthy individuals; (3) How to develop COVID-19 vaccines on an expedited time scale; and (4) How to reopen businesses and schools in a manner that reduces the risk of future outbreaks and deaths.

The report said that Cahill first came together with the group in March, and it’s been acting as a sort of go-between for pharmaceutical companies and the White House. It wants the government to ramp up efforts in several areas mentioned above, which include understanding the drug Remdesivir through studies and research.

In the end, Harvard’s Schreiber told the WSJ, “We may fail, but if it succeeds, it could change the world.”

Tim Wright, Editor
twright@rodmanmedia.com