News

The a2 Milk Company has generously agreed to donate NZD $500,000 to the Doherty Institute in support of our research into the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Director of the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne Professor Sharon Lewin, said they were extremely grateful to The a2 Milk Company for their generosity.

“As COVID-19 continues to impact Australia and the world in relation to health and economic security, our staff at the Doherty Institute are committed to making a major contribution to see the end of this outbreak,” Professor Lewin said.

“This donation from The a2 Milk Company will contribute significantly to our efforts towards developing a vaccine for COVID-19, amongst other priorities.

“The Doherty Institute’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak is broad in scope, encompassing staff from our joint venture partners – the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Hospital – working on research, clinical care and diagnostic services.

“By focusing on these three areas, the teams and laboratory groups can understand the nature of the virus, including its impact on patients and the community, develop methods for identifying and diagnosing it and contribute to potential treatments and vaccines.”

Scientists from the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory at the Doherty Institute were the first to grow COVID-19 in the laboratory outside of China and the first to share it with public health laboratories nationally and globally.

It was this success that drew the attention of The a2 Milk Company to the work of the Doherty Institute.

“I would also like to thank the advancement teams of our joint venture partners who worked swiftly and collaboratively with The a2 Milk Company to achieve this tremendous outcome,” Professor Lewin concluded.