Together with the successful launch of the xuetangX International Version which was held earlier this week on April 20, one of the 109 online courses that was released, free of charge, is called, "Drug Discovery in Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19"  which covers research into fundamental knowledge of clinical diagnosis, prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

If you are interested to know more about the virus beyond the soundbites on the news, particularly regarding vaccine and drug development, Tsinghua's School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Global Health Drug Discovery Institute (which was co-launched by Bill Gates in 2017) have the perfect online course for you!

Drug discovery in prevention and treatment of COVID-19

The beginning of 2020 have witnessed the emergence of  COVID-19escalating to a world pandemic. This virus have claimed more than 100,000 death reported by WHO, 10 times more than the seasonal flu does. Since the severity of the virus is becoming crystal clear, it is essential to grasp related knowledge to prepare us for self-protection and future drug development. Faculty in School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Tsinghua University, partnering with the Global Health Drug Discovery Institute (GHDDI) has been rapidly organizing to set up this curriculum – drug discovery in prevention and treatment of COVID-19 – in order to provide information about virus detection and our ways of fighting against the ongoing outbreak.

This curriculum includes research into fundamental knowledge of clinical diagnosis, prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Different strategies for drug development targeting this virus, the specific virus-host interaction of COVID-19 and how artificial intelligence (AI) contributes to the drug discovery will also be introduced during our lessens. In addition, Tsinghua University now open free access to researchers, clinicians and policymakers, hoping to offer some insights to responders around the world to be better equipped.