Duration: 2022-2025
ENDVOC (Ending COVID-19 Variants of Concern Through Cohort Studies) is a European research project studying the circulation and impact of current and emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, guiding responses to the virus.
The consortium will support the European and global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and Variants of Concern (VOC) through well characterised cohorts and linked with existing European and international initiatives. END-VOC consists of 19 partners in Europe (UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Italy), South America (Brazil and Peru), Africa (Mozambique, South Africa, Nigeria and 13 ANTICOV African countries), Middle East (Palestine) and Asia (India, Pakistan, Philippines) with a focus on countries affected by VOCs and VOIs. We will elucidate the global circulation of the current and emerging SARS-CoV-2 VOCs and their characteristics, including transmissibility, pathogenicity and propensity to cause reinfection, to support best control strategies and the development of diagnostics; evaluate the impact of VOCs on the effectiveness of different vaccines and vaccination strategies; and assess the implications of VOCs on the choice of optimal treatment options. END-VOC will also investigate how VOCs alter long-term post-infection sequelae and where new VOCs emerge within hosts using our clinical cohorts. We will inform future preparedness and response working closely with international and national public health organisations and existing cohort consortia. Specific beyond state-of-the-art components of END-VOC include the use of novel phylogenetic prediction tools and mathematical modelling; generation of powerful cohorts through sentinel surveillance in low and middle income settings and cohorts of travellers to increase our global reach; use of novel predictive modelling of clinical outcomes by VOC and comorbidity/treatment and evaluation of differences in natural and vaccine immunity by VOC; antiviral screening models within cohorts and an artificial intelligence driven tool for the prediction of long COVID.
Project Leader
- UCL, United Kingdom
Partners
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Italy
- Università Degli Studi Di Milano, Italy
- Universitatsklinikum Heidelberg, Germany
- Instituto de Salud Global de Barcelona, Spain
- Institut Universitari per la Recerca a l’Atencio Primaria de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina, Spain
- Folkehelseinstituttet (Norwegian Institute of Public Health), Norway
- Stichting Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (including UvA Law Centre for Health and Life), The Netherlands
- Nigeria Centre for Disease Control Universite de Geneve, Switzerland
- Public Health Foundation of India Fundaçao Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil
- Laboratoire National De Santé, Luxembourg
- Arab American University Palestine
- Institut D’investigació En Ciencias De La Salut Germans Trias I Pujol, Spain
- Dopasi Foundation, Pakistan
- University of The Philippines
- Centro de Investigaçao em Sañude de Manhiça, Mozambique
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Switzerland
Funding
- European Union
Goal
To evaluate the circulation and impact of current and emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) through the study of well-characterised cohorts across the world.
Objectives
- Improve data collection and analysis to foster rapid identification of SARS-CoV-2variants of concern.
Activities
- Collection of data from 28 cohorts in 23 countries to address five key questions:
- detection and characterisation of emerging variants
- study of immune evasion and reinfections
- evaluation of VOC’s ability to escape current treatments
- explore the causes of Long Covid
- provide recommendations to improve the management of future infectious disease outbreaks.
- MACH is particularly engaged in activities of work package 6 (Pathogenicity and immunity), 8 (Pandemic preparedness), and 10 (Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication):
- Task 6.3 Contribute to standardisation of clinical protocols to facilitate data sharing and coordination supporting established and future preparedness networks (Lead)
- Task 6.1 Assessing the impact of VOCs on treatment options
- Task 6.2 Development of tailor made clinical guidance on optimal treatment options
- Task 8.1 Map regional and national legal and regulatory frameworks
- Task 8.3 Design and conduct randomized public opinion survey
- Task 8.4 Mixed-methods case studies
- Task 8.6 Develop a set of strategic recommendations for future epidemics and pandemics
- Task 8.7 Develop buden of disease estimates for COVID-19
- Task 10.2 Stakeholder engagement
- Task 10.4 Translation
Impact
- Rapid detection of emerging variants of concern will improve the understanding of their implications on diagnostics, vaccination strategies and help preventing the circulation of the virus.
- Results could be applied to improve the response to other infectious disease outbreaks.