The ongoing pandemic emergency has focused the public spotlight on research institutes, pharmaceutical companies, and organizations that can potentially give us the tools to fight COVID-19.

Among the many institutes that have sprung into action is the Telethon Foundation, which is once again at the forefront with a team coordinated by the world-renowned medical scientist and academic, Prof Andrea Ballabio. As the director of the Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), an Italian center of excellence for research located in Pozzuoli, near Naples in Italy, Prof Ballabio has launched a targeted study on the SARS-CoV-2 strain, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The research project will be structured into three core phases. The first: sequencing the entire viral genome, thereby making it possible to pinpoint the strain and its mutations over time. The second: understanding the change in cells affected by the virus, analyzing their inflammatory process. The third: studying the microbiological species present in swabs to ascertain the possibility of COVID-19 presenting as a co-infection with other pathogens. In this way, the researchers will be able to identify the best pharmacological modulations to combat SARS-CoV- 2.

It is also thanks to funding received from external companies that the study will be applied on a large scale. Once again UK-based CNH Industrial is providing active support. Specifically, the company has allocated $100,000 (over €90,000) of its $2 million Solidarity Fund, which is intended to specifically help individuals and communities affected by the virus. The contribution reinforces the longstanding, six-year partnership between CNH Industrial and Telethon, which has seen the level of donations exceed €1,100,000 to date.