Timeline of Rapid Resp
On January 30, 2020, Saveez Saffarian traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to
present HIV research at the New Concepts in Virology conference. “There was a lot of speculation about SARS-CoV2 in that meeting. Although, at the time, it was far less than it would become,” said Saffarian.
Upon returning to Utah, Saffarian was asked to present a colloquium on
the SARS-CoV2 virus to his fellow faculty in the Department of Physics & Astronomy. During preparations, Saveez reached out to fellow faculty member Michael Vershinin for help. Vershinin and Saveez have been friends since 2010. “We often bounce ideas off each other. Just to get another opinion and a fresh set of eyes,” said Saffarian.
Vershinin and Saffarian dove deep into the scientific literature to learn
as much as possible about corona and related viruses, such as influenza. Their focus was on presenting an overview of the SARS-CoV2 for the colloquium on March 5, 2020. “At the time, I did not immediately see a connection between my HIV research and the SARS-CoV2 virus,” said Saffarian.
On March 6, 2020, the National Science Foundation (NSF), announced
a program of $200,000 Rapid Response Grants for non-medical, non-clinicalcare research coronavirus research. The RAPID funding program allows the NSF to quickly review proposals in response to research on issues of severe urgency with regard to availability of data, facilities, or specialized equipment. Saffarian’s colloquium had turned into research opportunity.
Michael Vershinin saw an immediate research opportunity. Much of the
existing NSF research centered on the spread of influenza on an epidemiological level, with fewer answers about the actual virus particle and how
Saveez Saffarian
Researchers identify a new coronavirus in Hubei province, China.
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1.08.2020
Saveez Saffarian flies to Barcelona, Spain, to present research on HIV at the New Concepts in Virology conference.
1.28.2020
The W.H.O. declares a global health emergency with 9,800 infected worldwide.
1.30.2020
Saffarian presents a colloquium on SARS-CoV2 virus to the science faculty.
3.05.2020
NSF announces RAPID research grants for COVID-19.
3.06.2020
