It has been two and a half years since the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the COVID-19 outbreak. Despite the success of safe and efficacious vaccines for COVID-19, people still fall ill due to viral infection and the ensuing complications. With the continual emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest, the threat is far from over. In this webinar, Lianghui (Lucy) Zhang and Michael Cobas Meyer will discuss strategies employed by scientists to develop effective therapies for COVID-19.

Topics to be covered

• Targeting SARS-CoV-2 variants with an engineered protein decoy
• Using the monoclonal antibody, bebtelovimab against SARS-CoV-2 and variants of concern
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    Lianghui (Lucy) Zhang, MD, PhD
    Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Regeneration, University of Illinois at Chicago
    Zhang received her PhD in pharmacology in 2013 from the University of Rochester. Under the mentorship of Alan Smrcka, she investigated the signal pathways associated with cardiac hypertrophy. Zhang completed her postdoctoral training in lung vascular biology with Jalees Rehman and Asrar Malik in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In March 2021, she joined the Department of Pharmacology and Regeneration at UIC as an assistant professor. Her research focuses on the mechanisms of inflammatory endothelial injury and repair using acute lung injury mouse models and the development of novel mechanism-based regenerative strategies. Zhang’s research is supported by a National Institutes of Health RO1 and has been published in high-impact journals including Cell, Circulation, Nature Communications, and Nature Chemical Biology.
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    Michael Cobas Meyer, MD
    Vice President, Neuroscience Pain Early and Late Phase Development and Lilly Research Laboratories COVID-19 Therapies, Eli Lilly and Company
    Michael Cobas Meyer is the vice president of neuroscience pain early and late phase development and LRL COVID-19 therapies at Eli Lilly and Company (Lily). Since September 2021, Meyer has led Lily’s COVID-19 monoclonal antibody development efforts and is the go-to contact for patient outreach. He is globally accountable for the strategy, development, and execution of Lilly’s pain portfolio. In his previous position, Meyer served as the vice president of medical affairs and launched the company’s neuroscience and immunology programs across the global market, including the United States, Japan, and China. Meyer earned his MD in 2001 from Hannover Medical School, where he investigated the plasma activity and concentration of C1-esterase inhibitor in the perioperative inflammatory response. As a postdoctoral researcher, Meyer investigated early diagnostic markers for sepsis. In 2001, he joined Lilly as the scientific marketing coordinator. Over his 20 years at Lilly, Meyer has held several roles in Europe and the United States and overseen global brand development, clinical research, global patient safety, risk management, and general management. He is a co-founder of the German Sepsis Society and a co-author of several journal articles and book chapters.