DENVER -- Colorado researchers have played a role in everything from COVID-19 vaccine trials to studying the most effective way to distribute early doses.
“I think the collaboration that’s gone on to make something like this happen has just been incredible," said Raymond Goodrich, executive director of the Infectious Disease Research Center at Colorado State University.
Goodrich says the level of collaboration is like nothing he's seen before. His team at CSU is working with several different organizations like the Colorado Convalescent Plasma Consortium and National Jewish Health.
"There are other ways to make vaccines and we’ve been exploring (them) here at Colorado State, there are a number of groups that are exploring various routes," said Goodrich.
CSU scientists received a contract worth $3.1 million to continue their work on a potentially new vaccine called SolaVAX. It is still in the preclinical study phase.
UCHealth has also been involved in clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccine. Doctors estimate more than a thousand people from the Rocky Mountain region will be participating in their AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine study. Another 217 people are participating in a study for the Moderna vaccine.
"I think one of the things that has struck me in this effort is the really incredible public support for these trials," said Dr. Thomas Campbell, Chief Clinical Research Officer for UCHealth.
