- [Narrator] The US Army Medical Research
and Development Command is leading research efforts
to prevent, detect, and treat COVID-19.
Command laboratories are applying
existing field leading research,
a global research network,
and established partnerships,
to support the whole of government response
to the coronavirus pandemic.
USAMRDC is executing the research and development
of a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19.
We are partnering with government, academia,
and industry to identify opportunities
to leverage USANRDC's full range
of vaccine development competencies in support
of accelerating the most promising vaccine candidates
through clinical trials.
The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
is utilizing existing expertise and infrastructure
to develop a novel vaccine
that is advancing through the research stages
to test for safety and effectiveness.
Prospective vaccine candidates will be tested
at the US Army Medical Research Institute
of Infectious Diseases,
where scientists are developing the animal models necessary
to assess the effectiveness of potential drugs
and vaccines against the COVID-19 infection.
Successful drug candidates will also be tested
in humans at WRAIR's Clinical Trials Center.
Researchers at our labs are also developing
monoclonal antibodies, or manmade proteins,
engineered to optimize the body's natural response
to fight infection by preventing the virus
from entering and replicating within human cells.
Many of USAMRDC's organizations are contributing
their unique skill sets to the efforts against COVID-19.
The US Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory
is performing rapid testing
and air worthiness release evaluations
on multiple medical devices needed
to transport COVID-19 positive patients.
The US Army Medical Material Development Activity
established a working group
to support additive manufacturers across the DoD
with the development, testing,
and FDA regulatory submission process
for the production of personal protective equipment
and other medical devices.
The group offers unique expertise
to the broader DoD community seeking
to manufacturer the medical products needed
to address critical supply shortages during the pandemic.
USAMRDC is collaborating with government,
academia, and industry to quickly identify
and support diagnostic testing capabilities
to facilitate force health protection against COVID-19.
Researchers are creating a series of tests
to include high throughput confirmatory,
clearance, and antibody immunoassays,
and evaluating for use
in a point of care portable field device,
to rapidly detect the virus
during the early stages of infection.
We are also assisting with manufacturing,
testing, and FDA regulatory submissions of medical devices,
such as 3D printed swabs.
In addition,
the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine
is helping to evaluate the use
of devices and wearable systems
to detect key early symptoms such as fever.
USAMRDC is also focused on developing safe, effective,
and accessible treatments for those infected with COVID-19.
The command entered into a cooperative research
and development agreement with Gilead Sciences
to provide Gilead's investigational drug, remdesivir,
for the treatment of DoD personnel exposed to coronavirus.
Researchers are collaborating with industry partners
on drug discovery using cutting edge artificial intelligence
and machine learning techniques,
and screening small molecules for novel therapeutics.
In the area of convalescent plasma,
USAMRDC is evaluating which convalescent donors
are more likely to produce plasma
that can be used to treat ill patients.
The command received an expanded access investigational
new drug treatment protocol
to provide convalescent plasma
as an additional treatment option for COVID-19 patients.
The Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center
is collaborating to develop
a virtual national emergency TeleCritical Care Network
to rapidly prototype and deploy digital health platforms
to extend TeleCritical Care capabilities
for COVID-19 care in global emergency situations,
and in coordination with the Army logistics community,
shortages of needed medical equipment
for deploying medical units are being filled.
USAMRDC offers the capability and capacity
to accelerate the development of a COVID-19 vaccine
and improve testing and treatments.
These efforts are supported
by numerous command offices and organizations.
All focused on public health and ensuring
that all research strictly conforms
to all safety and regulatory guidance to combat COVID-19.