March 1, 2020

Studying the Virus and Testing Potential Vaccines and Other Therapies

Matthew Frieman, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), is an expert on coronaviruses. He is among a select group of scientists chosen to the study COVID-19 in the lab. A biosafety (BSL-3) lab is used to protect the scientists and staff as they look for ways to fight the coronavirus and treat those infected. Frieman also spoke with CNN regarding testing the first U.S. coronavirus case.

A team of experts also has been assembled by UMB as the Emergency Management Unified Command Committee. This committee includes Wilbur Chen, MD, associate professor in UMSOM's Department of Medicine and an infectious disease expert at the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), and Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, the Myron M. Levine, MD, Professor in Vaccinology, professor of medicine and pediatrics, director of CVD, and co-principal investigator of the National Institutes of Health's Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium Leadership Group.

They and other UMSOM experts are collaborating with the University of Maryland Medical Center on rapid response and preparedness planning as the outbreak evolves.

Depicted in the photograph: (From left) Wilbur Chen, MD; Matthew Frieman, PhD; and Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH