Lincolnshire hospitals taking part in new study into coronavirus

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) is taking part in the GenOMICC study which aims to sequence the genomes of 20,000 people who are severely ill with COVID-19 and help to better understand the virus’ varied effects on people and support the search for treatments.

Two thousand patients have already been recruited to the study – including 14 from UHLT – but the trust is hoping to recruit more.

Dr Chablani and Dr Barber are the principal investigators for the GenOMICC study at ULHT.

Dr Chablani said: “Myself and Dr Barber are proud to be able to lead the study for Pilgrim Hospital, Boston and Lincoln County Hospital respectively. We are very grateful for the support we have received from our research team in this study and wish to thank every member of our team for their support.

“We are positive that the study will help unravel the mystery of genetic susceptibility to critical illness and help the scientific community to design new treatments.”

This ground-breaking research may help explain why some patients with COVID-19 experience a mild infection, others require intensive care and why for some it is sadly fatal.

By discovering why some people are predisposed to developing life-threatening symptoms, the initiative will enable novel insights into the virus, as well as possible human factors that influence the effects of the disease, and whether a combination of both shape outcomes for NHS patients.

Dr Kenneth Baillie, chief investigator on the GenOMICC study, said: "Our genes play a role in determining who becomes desperately sick with infections like COVID-19. Understanding these genes will help us to choose treatments for clinical trials.

“The GenOMICC study has been running since 2016, and has been investigating genetic factors that impact how patients fare in response to a number of severe illnesses. I am delighted to be working with United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust to deliver this important work.”

The data collected will be compared to that from a further 15,000 COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms.