The CORONA Study: Aveni Foundation's New Mission

The Aveni Foundation, named in honor of Fr. Joseph Aveni, RCJ, was founded in May 2018 by Dr. Erlinda Gordon, MD. in Santa Monica, California (USA). It is an IRS sanctioned 501C3 public charity whose mission is to expedite the development of tumor and gene-targeted technologies for cancer and other unmet medical needs.

The Aveni Foundation’s initial goal was to raise fund for specific projects that aim to develop new cancer therapies without the toxic side effects of chemotherapy. However, in response to the Global Pandemic, it has embarked on a new mission, the CORONA Study using DeltaRex-G as treatment of COVID-19. This was discussed by Dr. Erlinda Gordon in a virtual conference she delivered last July 11, 2020, which was organized by SCIINOV Group (https://www.sciinovgroup.com).

Currently there are over 1000 clinical trials on-going worldwide to diagnose, treat, and improve the rate of recovery from COVID-19. So far, there are a few promising drugs but no FDA-approved treatment for COVID-19. We announce the first, and so far, only, gene therapy that could solve this urgent unmet medical need.

The CORONA STUDY is a Phase 1/2 study that will test whether DeltaRex-G is safe, will improve the symptoms of COVID-19, and will hasten patient recovery from COVID-19. Nine to eighteen patients with COVID-19 who require hospitalization will receive increasing doses of intravenous DeltaRex-G, three patients at a time. During the treatment period, the patients will be observed carefully for improvement in symptoms, reduction in hospital stay, need for ventilator therapy, resolution of pneumonia, etc. If successful, the results of the study will be useful in planning Phase 2/3 clinical trials that could lead to an accelerated FDA approval of DeltaRex-G as treatment for COVID-19.

For more information: go to www.avenifoundation.org or email Dr. Gordon at egordon@avenifoundation.org or egordon@sarcomaoncology.com.