COVID-19 is a key aim of GenOMICC

Susceptibility to COVID-19 is almost certainly, in part, genetic. GenOMICC can find the genes that cause susceptibility, which may help us to prioritise treatments to respond to the global crisis. GenOMICC was designed for this crisis. Since 2016, the open, global GenOMICC collaboration has been recruit patients with emerging infections, including COVID-19. All patients with confirmed COVID-19 in critical care are eligible for GenOMICC; please recruit them as normal, following local infection control precautions.

In particular, we aim to recruit every intubated patient with COVID-19. If you need to prioritise, please start with the youngest.

GenOMICC is prioritised as an NIHR Urgent Public Health Study in the UK

GenOMICC in Canada

Recruitment to GenOMICC is easy and urgent. We need to do this at very large scale in order to get fast answers that may alter the delivery of critical care medicine. International collaboration will be crucial in acheiving this aim. Using our open-source approach, investigators have adopted the GenOMICC protocol for use in Canada. Contact us at david.maslove@queensu.ca to express interest in establishing recruitment at your site.

Recruitment requires consent, a single blood DNA sample and a very short online CRF (see example recruitment procedures here).

Summary

We ask these questions of every patient:

  • are they critically ill? (need for continuous monitoring/mechanical ventilation)
  • is the primary cause of illness eligible? (e.g. COVID-19, Influenza, Pneumonia, Emerging infections, Burns, Cellulitis, Pancreatitis)
  • (for non-COVID patients) are they under 70 and functionally-well?

If the answers are yes, we:

Help with recruitment

We know that every ICU is under unprecedented pressure. We are ready to help wherever we can - please get in touch with us any time for assistance: david.maslove@queensu.ca. We're making this as simple as we can:

  • Screening: every ICU COVID patient is eligible.
  • CRF: We've simplified this to eligibility, consent and outcome. That's all.
  • Consent: We'll help to coordinate appropriately-trained staff in your hospital to help you by getting telephone consent.

Canadian Investigators

  • David Maslove (Queen's University)(CI)
  • Lisa Strug (Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto)
  • Michael Rauh (Queen's University)
  • Harriet Feilotter (Queen's University)
  • John Marshall (University of Toronto)
  • Kenneth Baillie (University of Edinburgh)
  • Jonathan Millar (University of Edinburgh)

    • Funding

    The GenOMICC study is supported by Sepsis Research (FEAT), the Intensive Care Society, the Wellcome Trust, and the Medical Research Council.

    Contact us: genomicc@roslin.ed.ac.uk