NEW ORLEANS – Tulane University said it received an anonymous $1 million gift to establish a fund for emerging research in infectious disease. The school said the fund will make an immediate impact in the race for treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19. It will address all aspects of the crisis, from detection to treatment to prevention by supporting Tulane’s research and clinical enterprise.
“This donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, has supported Tulane’s mission to improve the human condition for decades,” said Tulane President Michael Fitts. “This gift will boost our efforts to find an end to this global pandemic and move toward Tulane’s ultimate goal of creating a system-wide approach to combating infectious disease that includes early detection, treatments and vaccines. Such a system may stop the next pandemic from happening at all.”
This fund will help expand Tulane’s clinical trials capacity, accelerate the development of new model systems and support efforts to develop rapid diagnostic tests.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the work that Tulane researchers are doing to find answers to this global pandemic,” said the anonymous donor, who is a Tulane graduate. “I want to make sure we are always on the front line of solving the world’s most complex problems. Fighting infectious disease has been a focus of Tulane since it was founded in 1834 to combat the yellow fever epidemic. My hope is that this gift will inspire others to support Tulane in this battle for the good of our country and our world.”
