The Barilla family, which owns the pasta maker of the same name, has donated $500,000 to U.S. non-profit association "The Cure Alliance" to fund research on a COVID-19 therapy based on stem cells, the group said on Monday.

The clinical trial for the cure, which is being developed by a group of international scientists led by Italian professor Camillo Ricordi, has already received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Barilla said.