Q: When will the new antibody drug hit the market?

We are pushing for the market launch as early as possible. But several procedures are needed.

A treatment guideline must be formulated. The conditions for storage, shipping and production must also be met. This process may take a few days or a few weeks.

It takes about two to three months to finish production after we receive an order. So we are also pushing for a mechanism like pre-purchase or reserve.

Q: Do you regard this as a shining moment in your professional or academic career? How can the COVID-19 breakthrough drug help your AIDS research?

Zhang: In less than two years, we finished a job that would otherwise take at least 10 years.

This is a big test for us. Not only in the sense of technology but also a test of our will, our ability to manage all resources in emergency, and our teamwork. The challenge is unprecedented.

This experience will be a huge boost to our research in AIDS.

There has been great achievement in AIDS research. The cocktail therapy has greatly improved the quality of life for AIDS patients. But we still need to find a cure or vaccine for the disease. It will be a tough job and we are still working on it.

About the interviewee

Zhang Linqi [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhang Linqi is a professor and the director of the Comprehensive AIDS Research Center at Tsinghua University's School of Medicine.

He graduated from Beijing Normal University in 1985 with a bachelor's degree and earned a doctoral degree in 1992 from the University of Edinburgh. He joined Tsinghua University in 2007 after working at Rockefeller University for nine years.

Over the past three decades, his primary research interest revolves around the origin and spread of HIV pathogens, with a focus on the course of disease and treatment. He recently expanded his research into emerging and re-emerging human viral pathogens such as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), Ebola and Zika virus, as well as highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) and COVID-19.