The event was hosted by US Ambassador Lynde Blanchard who recently made a personal donation of US$ 15,000 to the Fight Against Corona foundation established by Educell, a company which deals with therapy involving stem cells and regenerative medicine.

According to the ambassador, this consortium, led by a Slovenian company and involving US participation, is the best example of Slovenian innovation and of scientific connections between Slovenian and the US.

The consortium's goal is developing a stem cells-based therapy that could help Covid-19 patients. There have been positive results as regards the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome, one of the symptoms of Covid-19.

Educell director Miomir Knežević explained the project was making progress and that in the US clinical testing had already been approved for the therapy, while the company plans to make a request for an EU trial in the coming days.

The state of the pandemic in the world and Slovenia was also discussed at the event. Bojana Beović, the head of the Health Ministry advisory task force for coronavirus, warned that while the first wave was over, there is an awareness that the fight is not over.

Echoing the view of other participants, Beović pointed to the importance of science, business and the state cooperating during such times.

Blanchard said that many challenges still lay ahead and that many were looking with envy at the epidemiological situation in Slovenia, a situation that showed a coordinated response produced results.