Secret group of scientists backed by billionaires are working on a 'Manhattan Project' to stop COVID-19

  • Group working to pull together world's most promising research on pandemic
  • Their ideas and findings will be passed on to policy makers and the White House 
  • The coming together of industry, researchers and government agencies to take on a single global enemy could fundamentally change future drug development
  • The original Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons and led by the U.S.  
  • Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

By James Gordon For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

A secret group of the nation's top scientists funded by a group of billionaires say they believe they have the answer to combatting the coronavirus pandemic and intend to make their proposals known to the White House. 

The group consisting of a dozen doctors is led by 33-year-old Dr. Thomas Cahill - a physician-turned-venture capitalist.

Cahill has managed to pull together what he hopes will be enough clout and financial backing to influence policy decisions at the highest level, including the White House, as plans are made on how to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic and defeat the disease.  

Entrepreneur and venture capitalist Peter Thiel is one of the billionaires who is backing the group. He is said to be worth $2.3 billion

Michael Milken, who is said to be worth $3.7bn is also throwing his money behind the group

Michael Milken, who is said to be worth $3.7bn is also throwing his money behind the group

Jim Pallotta is another financier who is giving the group extra clout. Pallotta is worth $1bn

Jim Pallotta is another financier who is giving the group extra clout. Pallotta is worth $1bn

Steve Pagliuca, co-owner of the Boston Celtics and the co-chairman of Bain Capital is another one of Dr. Tom Cahill’s investors

Steve Pagliuca, co-owner of the Boston Celtics and the co-chairman of Bain Capital is another one of Dr. Tom Cahill’s investors 

The scientists and the billionaire backers who are funding their work are describing their plan as a 'Manhattan Project' for the age of coronavirus.

The original Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons and helped develop the atomic bomb. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. 

This time around however, the plan is to nuke the virus by bringing together the best brains in science while using money to bring forward some more 'unorthodox' ideas.  

The 12 doctors describe themselves as the Scientists to Stop Covid-19, and consist of include chemical biologists, an immunobiologist, a neurobiologist, a chronobiologist, an oncologist, a gastroenterologist, an epidemiologist and a nuclear scientist.

The group consisting of a dozen doctors is led by 33-year-old Dr. Thomas Cahill - a physician-turned-venture capitalist

The group consisting of a dozen doctors is led by 33-year-old Dr. Thomas Cahill - a physician-turned-venture capitalist

Dr. Lynn R. Goldman, M.D., M.S., M.P.H. is the Dean and Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University
Dr. Michael Rosbash, Ph.D. is the 2017 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Professor of Biology at Brandeis University, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Rosbash is a pioneer of chronobiology, the study of how living systems sense and respond to time

Dr. Lynn R. Goldman from GW University and Dr. Michael Rosbash who is a Nobel Peace Prize winner are both part of the group of 12 doctors

Dr. David Liu, Ph.D. is Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University
Dr. Michael Z. Lin, M.D., Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Bioengineering, and Chemical and Systems Biology at Stanford University

Dr. David Liu, Ph.D. Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, left,is part of the group along with Dr. Michael Z. Lin, M.D., Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Bioengineering, and Chemical and Systems Biology at Stanford University

By way of example as to the caliber of such a group, biologist Michael Rosbash who won a Nobel Prize in 2017 said, 'There's no question that I'm the least qualified.' 

The group's operation has not been reported, until now.

They are currently acting as a go-between for pharmaceutical companies who need a 'reputable link to Trump administration decision makers.' 

So far, a 17-page report has been compiled that calls for various trials of more unorthodox methods to be tried as patients battle the virus. 

They include using drugs that previously succeeded against treating the deadly Ebola virus. The idea this time around they would be used to treat coronavirus victims with the same drugs, only with a far greater dosage than has been used in the past.  

Dr. Edward Scolnick, M.D. is the former Head of Research and Development at Merck and a core investigator at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. While at Merck, Scolnick oversaw the development of 28 FDA-approved drugs and vaccines,
Dr. Ramnik Xavier, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, former Chief of Gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital

Dr. Edward Scolnick, M.D. who has overseen the development of 28 FDA-approved drugs and vaccines is part of the group. So too is Dr. Ramnik Xavier, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, former Chief of Gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital

Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, Ph.D. is a Professor of Immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine, and is a pioneer of novel vaccine strategies
Dr. R. Scott Kemp, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Nuclear Security and Policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Kemp works on the scientific foundations of U.S. national security policy

Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, Ph.D. is a Professor of Immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine, and is a pioneer of novel vaccine strategies, left.  Dr. R. Scott Kemp, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Nuclear Security and Policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Kemp works on the scientific foundations of U.S. national security policy

Dr. Benjamin Cravatt, Ph.D. is a Professor of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Stuart Schreiber, Ph.D. is a Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University and co-Founder of the Broad Institute.

Dr. Benjamin Cravatt, Ph.D. is a Professor of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, left. Dr. Stuart Schreiber, Ph.D. is a Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University and co-Founder of the Broad Institute. Both are on the board of the dozen doctors

The Food and Drug Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs appear to be on side and have even cut regulations and red tape in the hope that as many trials as possible can be sped through without having to wait, as might normally be the case. 

The report has been viewed by cabinet members and Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the Trump administration's coronavirus task force. The National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins has also seen the report and said he agreed with most of the recommendations, according according to the Wall Street Journal. 

For a 33-year-old, Dr. Cahill's has amassed quite the rolodex of connections through his investment firm and include billionaires, Peter Thiel, Jim Palotta and Michael Milken who are all firmly backing the group.

Cahill acknowledges that having such backing has allowed him to reach government officials in the time of the crisis when they would otherwise be fully occupied however the group is already being consulted.  

It is the presence of billionaire backers funding the scientist which is gives the group added legitimacy ensuring they have the ears of policy makers including the president

It is the presence of billionaire backers funding the scientist which is gives the group added legitimacy ensuring they have the ears of policy makers including the president

The group determined to fight the virus are already advising the Trump administration through phonecalls to Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence's longtime aide

The group determined to fight the virus are already advising the Trump administration through phonecalls to Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence's longtime aide

Cahill and the group are already advising the Trump administration through phonecalls to Nick Ayers, Mike Pence's longtime aide.

Importantly, nobody who is involved with the group stands to make money from any discoveries or developments. 

Those who are involved and donating their financial backing are doing so through to build their own connections and 'through levelheaded thinking for the benefit of society as a whole', according to the Journal. 

A member of the group and Harvard University chemist summed up the ethos: 'We may fail, but if it succeeds, it could change the world.' 

The dozen doctors who are backed by billionaires 

Dr. Thomas J. Cahill, M.D., Ph.D. is the Founder and Managing Partner of Newpath Management, L.P. Dr. Cahill received both his M.D. and Ph.D. from Duke University. His Ph.D. work, with Professor Robert Lefkowitz (Nobel Laureate), focused on studying cellular receptors and their signaling to inform novel drug development and discovery. 

Dr. Benjamin Cravatt, Ph.D. is a Professor of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He is a founder of Vividion Therapeutics, Abide Therapeutics, and ActiveX Biosciences. Considered a co-inventor of activity-based proteomics, Cravatt is a prominent figure in the field of chemical biology. 

Dr. Lynn R. Goldman, M.D., M.S., M.P.H. is the Dean and Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the National Research Council Strategic Planning Group, and the NIH National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council. 

Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, Ph.D. is a Professor of Immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine. She has discovered molecular mechanisms underlying innate and adaptive antiviral immunity and is a pioneer of novel vaccine strategies. 

Dr. R. Scott Kemp, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Nuclear Security and Policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Kemp works on the scientific foundations of U.S. national security policy. 

Dr. Michael Z. Lin, M.D., Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Bioengineering, and Chemical and Systems Biology at Stanford University. A NIH Pioneer Award recipient, Dr. Lin develops proteinbased tools for molecular imaging and control of gene and viral therapy. 

Dr. David Liu, Ph.D. is Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, Vice-Chair of the Faculty at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. He is a founder of Beam Therapeutics, Editas Medicine, Prime Medicine, Pairwise Plants, and Exo Therapeutics. Liu is a pioneer in chemical biology, protein engineering, and gene editing, and has developed technologies such as base editing and prime editing.  

Dr. Michael Rosbash, Ph.D. is the 2017 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Professor of Biology at Brandeis University, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Rosbash is a pioneer of chronobiology, the study of how living systems sense and respond to time. 

Dr. Stuart Schreiber, Ph.D. is a Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University and co-Founder of the Broad Institute. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a founder of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Forma Therapeutics, H3 Biomedicine and Jnana Therapeutics. Schreiber co-pioneered the field of chemical biology. 

Dr. Edward Scolnick, M.D. is the former Head of Research and Development at Merck and a core investigator at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. While at Merck, Scolnick oversaw the development of 28 FDA-approved drugs and vaccines, including statins, HIV protease inhibitors, and Gardasil. He also made seminal discoveries on the nature of genes that cause cancer in humans before beginning his 22-year career at Merck. 

Dr. Jonathan W. Simons, M.D. is the CEO and President of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Simons a molecular oncologist who previously was the Founding Director of the Winship NCI Cancer Center at Emory University, and currently co-directs the PCF-Veterans Administration Precision Oncology Program for Prostate Cancer. 

Dr. Ramnik Xavier, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, former Chief of Gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Director of Computational and Integrative Biology, MGH, and a core institute member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He has discovered molecular mechanisms underlying innate and adaptive immunity, as well as causes of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and autoimmunity. 

What was the original Manhattan Project? 

A joint effort between the U.S., the UK and Canada, the Manhattan Project was a research and development programme that produced the first atomic bomb during the Second World War.

It began in 1939 as a modest operation, but grew to involve more than 130,000 people costing about $2billion working across 30 sites in America, Britain and Canada - some of them top secret.

The first-ever nuclear device was detonated in New Mexico on July 16 1945.

Less than a month later it was unleashed on unsuspecting Japan.

On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped a massive atomic bomb on Hiroshima. 

Three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, which killed about 70,000 people 

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Secret group of scientists and their billionaire backers are working on a 'Manhattan Project'

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