| How language technology can help fight COVID-19 - 20/11/2020 |
| European Commission |
| International and Regional Organizations | International |
| In the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic, language technology (like Natural Language Processing) might not seem an obvious partner for medical research – and yet it is playing a vital role. Since March 2020, one of the top priorities has been to find approaches to fight the new disease that has hijacked the planet for months and has changed the way we work and live our lives. To do this, we need to analyse and understand how the virus works and how we can stop it. As I write this, in mid-November 2020, the second wave of COVID-19 is hitting. So we need to act fast. The scientific community is working relentlessly, and the European Union is supporting research by mobilising millions of euros. The EU-funded Exscalate4Covid project, using European supercomputing, identified a molecule in an already existing drug, known as Raloxifene, as a promising means of treating mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients. In addition, it also helps prevent the disease from progressing towards severe and critical symptoms. A clinical trial has been launched and the project will continue working to identify other molecules. |
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