The city of Pittsburgh keeps stepping up in the fight against the coronavirus.
Recently, the families of Pitt head football coach Pat Narduzzi, Pitt head basketball coach Jeff Capel, Pitt head women's basketball coach Lance White and Pitt director of athletics Heather Lyke combined to donate $500,000 to Pitt's Center for Vaccine Research (CVR). That facility is currently working toward developing a vaccine for the virus that causes COVID-19.
“The University of Pittsburgh is a remarkable place with so many people doing life-changing work right here on our campus,” Narduzzi said. “We’re facing this challenge together, and we will only overcome it by working together. My wife Donna and I are honored to support Pitt’s scientists, and we can’t wait to yell ‘Hail to Pitt!’ when they achieve victory with a vaccine.”
Joining Pitt's leaders in this round of donations were each of the city's three major professional teams. The Steelers, the Penguins and the Pirates each donated $100,000, bringing the total effort to $800,000.
“Nothing great in life is ever achieved alone,” Lyke said in a statement. “Pitt Athletics is honored to join forces with the Penguins, Pirates and Steelers in support of the Center for Vaccine Research and its extraordinary researchers. April marked the 65th anniversary of Dr. Jonas Salk’s victory over polio and it is apparent that funding for vaccine research remains as crucial as ever. David and I are proud to support CVR’s mission of making the world a healthier, safer place."
The CVR certainly appreciates the gesture.
“We are stunned by the generosity and support the Pittsburgh community has shown for our center over the past few months, most recently from Pitt Athletics and our local sports teams—the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins,” CVR director Paul Duprex, Ph.D., said. “That’s the legacy of Jonas Salk on this town. Pittsburgh understands the importance of vaccines, and we’re so grateful to be located here, where we can do our work to combat COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, knowing the community is behind us.”
In mid-February, the CVR received approval from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to obtain samples of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in hopes of better understanding its complexities to eventually develop a vaccine. By late February, the samples were in Pittsburgh, and Dr. Duprex and his teams have been working to develop a vaccine since.
“The University of Pittsburgh has an incredible history with vaccine discoveries,” Capel said. “My wife Kanika and I are blessed to be in [a] position to partner with colleagues here at Pitt to make this contribution to the Center for Vaccine Research. Dr. Duprex and his team are doing heroic work and we are proud to support their effort to end the COVID-19 pandemic.”