Open Philanthropy recommended a grant of $55,000 to the Soroka Medical Center to support an approximately three-month trial study of weekly injections of pegylated interferon lambda proteins (Lambda) as a treatment for COVID-19, led by Dr. Ohad Etzion of the Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva, Israel. The trial will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Lambda according to patients’ viral load and physiological measurements. Interferon lambda has previously been shown to decrease infection rate and spread of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 in animal models, but has not yet been studied as a treatment for COVID-19 in humans.
This falls within Open Philanthropy's work on scientific research, specifically within its interest in science supporting biosecurity and pandemic preparedness.