University of Illinois System's Impact on COVID-19

Illinois Ventures proudly operates as the Venture Capital arm of the University of Illinois System, supporting faculty, researchers, students, and alumni companies that are changing the world through technology and life science advancements. Across the System, dedicated engineers, scientists, and makers are dedicating their time and effort to reduce risks for health professionals and provide treatment for patients.

At the University of Illinois at Chicago, engineers at the Makerlab Space are creating plastic face-shields as the state’s healthcare professionals face a lack PPE. Dr. Sandeep Jain, a winner of Illinois Ventures’ competitive Proof of Concept program, is producing tests to address the need for diagnosis worldwide with his Company, Advaite. UIC has been selected as a clinical trial site for a nationwide National Institutes of Health study of a potential COVID-19 treatment. The phase 3 trial will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an investigational anti-viral drug, called Remdesivir, in hospitalized adults diagnosed with COVID-19.

At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, A team led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Grainger College of Engineering and Carle Health has produced a prototype emergency ventilator to help address the expected surge in the need for respiratory care. Urbana-Champaign researchers provided epidemiological models developed in collaboration with Rush University and other institutions that showed how heightened social distancing can slow the transmission of the virus and prevent a shortage of intensive-care unit beds in Illinois.

To learn more about the University of Illinois System and they work being done to test and treat COVID-19, click here.