The Chinese team led by renowned Chinese respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan had a video conference with medical experts from Harvard University on the cooperation of treating novel coronavirus at 10 a.m. BJT Wednesday.

During the two-hour conference, experts from Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health and Harvard University, as well as China Evergrande Group, initiator and coordinator of the trilateral conference, had in-depth discussions about cooperation on diagnosis, clinical treatment, drug  and vaccine research, and epidemiology of the novel coronavirus pneumonia.

This is the second time the three parties exchange opinions via video call. At the first conference call on February 4, 2020, a scientific research team was set up.

The research team is jointly headed by Zhong and George Q. Daley, dean of Harvard Medical School (HMS), who will lead dozens of world's top medical experts to carry out scientific cooperation in four key areas: Rapid detection and diagnosis, clinical treatment, drug screening, and vaccine development. China Evergrande Group will provide 800 million yuan (about 114 million U.S. dollars) of scientific research funding over the next five years, with the first 200 million yuan already in place, said the Group.

Besides Zhong and Daley, other participants at this video conference included He Jianxing, president of Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health; Zhao Jincun, deputy director of State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease; David Golan, dean for Research Operations and Global Programs of HMS; Arlene Sharpe, chair of the Department of Immunology at HMS; Bruce Walker, founding director of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard; and Xia Haijun, CEO of China Evergrande Group.