The battle against coronavirus will be spearheaded by the University of Cambridge in a collaboration to gain “unparalleled insight” into the disease, it was announced on Monday (March 23).
An effort to understand and control the virus will be delivered by the university, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the NHS, Public Health England, and other academic institutions, to help the clinical care of patients and save lives.
Through a £20 million investment administered by the university, the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium will deliver study of the cause and spread of the disease and share intelligence with hospitals, regional NHS centres and the government.
By looking at the whole virus genome in people who have had confirmed cases, scientists can monitor changes in the virus at a national scale to understand how the virus is spreading and whether different strains are emerging. This will help clinical care of patients and save lives.
“This virus is one of the biggest threats our nation has faced in recent times and crucial to helping us fight it is understanding how it is spreading,” said the consortium director, Professor Sharon Peacock, who is the Cambridge University chairman of public health and microbiology and director of the National Infection Service at Public Health England.
“Harnessing innovative genome technologies will help us tease apart the complex picture of coronavirus spread in the UK, and rapidly evaluate ways to reduce the impact of this disease on our society.”
The Wellcome Sanger Institute, one of the world’s most advanced centres of genomes and data, will coordinate the collaboration along with the university between expert groups across the UK, to analyse the virus’ genetic code.
Whole genome sequencing, whereby the virus’ genetic code is read, will help scientists understand Covid-19 and its spread. It can also help guide treatments in the future and help monitor the impact of interventions.
The consortium’s work will enable clinicians and public health teams to rapidly investigate clusters of cases in hospitals, care homes and the community to understand how the virus is spread and implement appropriate infection control measures.
Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said: “Rapid genome sequencing of Covid-19 will give us unparalleled insights into the spread, distribution and scale of the epidemic in the UK.
“The power of 21st century science to combat this pandemic is something that those going before us could not have dreamt of, and it is incumbent on us to do everything we can to first understand, and then limit, the impact of Covid-19.”
The government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said: “The UK is one of the world’s leading destinations for genomics research and development, and I am confident that our best minds, working as part of this consortium, will make vital breakthroughs to help us tackle this disease.”