A call to scientists idled by shuttered labs: Share your bench skills and resources to fight Covid-19
"This is definitely disrupting a lot of very important projects around the country, but we're scientists. We're adaptable. We're trying to find ways to work around it that’ll be productive."
His lab shut down last week by coronavirus precautions like many others across the U.S., Michael Wells, a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute, was walking home and wondering how he could still help. A neuroscientist who worked on Zika testing, he created a database with like-minded scientists to connect their skills and resources with people who might need them.
In the five days since he put out his call, 6,000 scientists have volunteered and groups from across the country are signaling interest, from a plea for testing swabs to questions about chemicals needed to process the tests.
Wells told STAT more about his project in a recent conversation, which has been condensed and lightly edited.
What’s your background, and what skills
