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University Medicine Network Starts In-Depth Research on Covid-19

October 1st, 2020 | by

With the “National Network of University Medicine on Covid-19”, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is pooling research activities at German university hospitals in order to cope with the current pandemic. The BMBF will provide a total of 150 million euros for the University Medicine Network, it was announced today. The Network has already identified 13 high-priority topics that will be the focus of different cross-clinical research projects that are now set to start.

All University hospitals in Germany are part oft he the University Medicine Network. The clinics share their knowledge and experience with treating Covid-19 patients and thus learn continuously with, and from, one another. Together, they will work on urgent issues for improving treatment and will also develop treatment strategies and concepts that ensure the best possible care for patients.

The Network of University Medicine has joined forces to develop the following 13 projects together:

AKTIN – Real-Time Treatment Research Using the AKTIN Emergency Department Medical Record

The AKTIN Emergency Department Medical Record will be adapted and expanded to include research into the coronavirus pandemic. The use of an ED record within a clinic improves the information transfer between different organizations and optimizes the information transfer between different organizations.

The updated version of the ED Medical Record will be used to analyze the clinical care situation from the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide daily updated data from emergency rooms. These can be used for epidemiological assessments and for Covid-19-specific research activities. At the same time, recurrent epidemic waves and possible resulting bottlenecks for critical care can be identified early on, using the register as an early warning system.

B-FAST – Nationwide Research Network for Applied Surveillance and Testing

Surveillance involves the observation, analysis, interpretation and reporting of health data. The coronavirus pandemic shows that different testing and surveillance strategies are needed for the entire population, schools and day-care centers, potential risk areas, and clinics. B-Fast is developing a platform for the testing and evaluation of such strategies. To do so, it integrates different analyses and assessments. The project contributes to deveoping strategies that are valuable in the acute crisis, but can also be transferred to future pandemics.

CEO-sys – “Building a Covid-19 evidence ecosystem to improve knowledge management and translation

Evidence-based medicine offers the best possible care, as it is based on the latest scientific findings. Numerous German university hospitals, in cooperation with the international Cochrane network, provide the scientific basis for this. In CEO-sys, a national evidence network on Covid-19 is being established. The dynamically developing data and knowledge on Covid-19 will be continuously processed, evaluated and communicated to target groups within this evidence network. This creates a basis for individual treatment decisions as well as institutional and public care strategies.

Compass – “Coordination on Mobile Pandemic Apps Best Practice and Solution Sharing”

In the project, a platform is being set up that coordinates and provides concrete methods and tools for pandemic apps. In this nationwide project, partners from science and business are joining forces and are pursuing an open source approach. Together they are coordinating and evaluating existing pandemic apps to develop recommendations for action. This also creates a basis for digital solutions in order to be better digitally equipped for future pandemics.

COVIM – “Determination and use of SARS-CoV-2 immunity”

In the project, numerous university clinics are cooperating to bring together immunological data from population studies and the examination of recovered people from Covid-19 and to generate new scientific findings on immunity to SARS-CoV-2. In addition, it will be investigated how immunity can be transferred to other people and used for new therapeutic approaches. COVIM works closely with other projects also funded in the University Medicine Network, in particular with NAPKON, B-FAST and CEO-sys.

DEFEAT PANDEMIcs – “German Research Network Autopsies in Pandemics”

In the project, a Germany-wide autopsy network is being set up in which data, biomaterials, and findings are systematically recorded and merged in a standardized format. This unique interconnection of most of the pathological, neuropathological and forensic medical institutes of German university hospitals and non-university partners enables a deeper understanding of the disease and helps to develop more effective therapeutic approaches.

EViPan – “Development, testing and implementation of regionally adaptive supply structures and processes for evidence-based pandemic management coordinated by the university medicine”

In order to be able to recognize and treat Covid-19 patients even faster and better in the future, a national pandemic management process is required. A standardized management process would also to contain spread of the virus and to prepare institutions for future pandemics. As internationally networked maximum care providers and research institutions, the university clinics are at the center of regional health networks. In the project, they cooperate with the Robert Koch Institute and with the public health service and the state governments to jointly achieve the goal.

FoDaPla – “National Research Data Platform”

In this nationwide project, a uniform, data protection compliant infrastructure for the storage of Covid-19 research data sets is being created. In this research data platform, for example, anonymized laboratory data can be made available to researchers using secure and transparent procedures. This makes the platform a central source of information for various research projects that deal with the development of improved Covid-19 treatment approaches.

MethodCov – “Method network to support Covid-19 research projects in measuring social and contextual factors”

Whether a person falls ill with Covid-19 and how the disease progresses depends on a wide range of different factors. The MethodCov project is building a network of experts to analyze the influence of social factors. These include, for example, job role and living environment. The findings from this network can create new prevention approaches and clinical treatment concepts for groups of the population who require special protection in the current pandemic.

NAPKON – “National Pandemic Cohort Network”

The NAPKON project creates the basis for a better understanding of the course of a Covid-19 infection and the research of possible therapies by combining clinical data, biosamples, and imaging data in scientific studies. NAPKON is closely linked to the development of the national research data platform and cooperates with the COVIM project. The studies that are made possible in this way can, for example, provide information about the long-term consequences of Covid 19, even if those affected switch from the clinic to the family doctor during treatment.

Organo-Strat – “Organ-specific stratification in Covid-19”

The Organo-Strat project aims to establish a network that joins forces in using organ models developed in the lab. This enables organ-specific research questions to be tackled synergistically in a coordinated approach. It requires on a close interaction between university clinics and high-security laboratories. Tissue and autopsy samples are to be used to conduct higher-impact studies on Covid-19 and other diseases. In the long term, this should enable therapies that are individually tailored to the patient.

PallPan – “National strategy for palliative care in pandemic times”

In this project, recommendations for action and information materials are being created on a scientific basis in order to be able to provide the best possible care for seriously ill individuals in times of a pandemic. Their individual concerns – as well as those of their relatives – shall be taken into account as best as possible. This is the largest structured association of palliative medicine in a research project in Germany to date.

RACOON – “Radiological Cooperative Network on the Covid-19 Pandemic”

RACOON is the first Germany-wide radiology platform in which almost all university hospitals are involved. Here, X-rays of patients suspected of having Covid-19 are pooled and analyzed with regard to the course of the disease. The findings are analyzed using artificial intelligence methods. This enables a faster and more precise diagnosis of the disease and its course and creates a basis for decision-making for epidemiological studies, situation assessments, and early warning mechanisms.

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