BEIJING — China has reported new progress in the research of COVID-19 drugs and therapies, sharing with the world its clinical experience and achievements and pushing forward international cooperation in the study of the disease.

One of the highlights of the new progress is stem cell treatment, which has been used in more than 200 cases in Wuhan, the hardest-hit city amid the epidemic in China, Sun Yanrong, deputy head of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development under the Ministry of Science and Technology, said at a news conference on April 14.

Clinical trials show that the therapy is safe, and can increase the cure rate of severe patients by inhibiting lung inflammation and improve the respiratory function of patients in the rehabilitation period, according to Sun.

China has also made progress in convalescent plasma therapy. So far, more than 700 patients have received such treatment with good effects. The median length of stay in ICU of the patients receiving convalescent plasma therapy was significantly shorter than that in the control group, Sun said.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has launched 27 projects in the research of drugs, therapies and related technologies. More than 3,200 researchers from 152 hospitals, universities and institutions across China, including those on the front line of the fight against COVID-19 in Wuhan, have participated in the research.