University of Liverpool: against COVID-19 University
1. It is part of multiple research projects, including those led by Professor Simon Carding for Quadram Institute and WHO's
Prof Carding and his co-researchers from the University of Kent and the University of Liverpool are working on a new drug delivery method for COVID-19 vaccines.
Professor James Stewart (University of Liverpool) is on the expert group for animal models.
2. University of Liverpool is partner of the global project 'COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium'
'COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium' is a collaboration between the NHS, Public Health England and other UK public health agencies, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge and other academic institutions.
Project: COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium
Research Group: Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit
Project Description: The COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium aims to increase the current capacity for SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequencing in the UK. This sequencing data will be used to understand the epidemiology and spread of the virus, and to monitor and evaluate interventions for COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 genomic data will be integrated with NHS electronic health records and other existing genomic data to generate insights into susceptibility to COVID-19. From within the DPHPC, Professor John Danesh is a member of the COG-UK Steering Group, Dr Ewan Harrison will serve as the Scientific Project Manager and Dr Michael Chapman will lead the health informatics component.
Contributors:
Professor Julian Hiscox, Chair in Infection and Global Health, Institute of Infection and Global Health
Professor Alistair Darby, Principal Investigator and Co-Director of the Centre for Genomic Research, Institute of Integrative Biology
Professor Steve Paterson, Professor of Genetics, Institute of Integrative Biology
https://www.cogconsortium.uk/about/
3. Project: Collecting COVID-19 data and samples in a way that enables global research (ISARIC-CCP project)
Summary: Health Data Research UK involvement in the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) Clinical Characterisation Protocol (CCP), to support the UK to collect COVID-19 data and samples in a way that enables the international research required to tackle this global pandemic.
The ‘Clinical Characterisation Protocol’ is actually the product of many years of discussion among international investigators from a wide range of scientific and medical disciplines. Work to develop this protocol started in response to Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012-2013, Influenza H7N9 in 2013, viral haemorrhagic fever (Ebolavirus) in 2014, Monkeypox & MERS-CoV in 2018 and Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in 2019. it is now being used for COVID-19 .
The International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium was founded in 2011 to prevent illness and deaths from infectious disease outbreaks. It is a global federation of clinical research networks, providing a proficient, coordinated and agile research response to outbreak-prone infectious disease. Teams at the University of Oxford (part of HDR UK Oxford) and the University of Liverpool are coordinating the UK effort to comply with the ‘Clinical Characterisation Protocol’. Key coordination activities include: capturing Case Report Form Data for the UK in a national database held at the University of Oxford; and providing guidance relating to using the Clinical Characterisation Protocol correctly, coordinated by a team at the University of Liverpool. Health data from COVID-19 patients, as well as biosamples for a range of related molecular ‘omics’ assays, are now being collected in a way that complies with the Clinical Characterisation Protocol framework.
