The Government and the UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser have today
(Monday 23 March) backed the UK’s leading clinicians and scientists
to map how COVID-19 spreads and behaves by using whole genome
sequencing. Through a £20 million investment, the consortium will
look for breakthroughs that help the UK respond to this and future
pandemics, and save lives.
COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium - comprised of the NHS, Public
Health Agencies, Wellcome Sanger Institute, and numerous academic
institutions - will deliver large scale, rapid sequencing of the
cause of the disease and share intelligence with hospitals,
regional NHS centres and the Government.
Samples from patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 will be
sent to a network of sequencing centres which currently includes
Belfast, Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter,
Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford and
Sheffield.
The Wellcome Sanger Institute, one of the world’s most advanced
centres of genomes and data, will collaborate with expert groups
across the country to analyse the genetic code of COVID-19
samples circulating in the UK and in doing so, give public health
agencies and clinicians a unique, cutting-edge tool to combat the
virus.
By looking at the whole virus genome in people who have had
confirmed cases of COVID-19, 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.
Business Secretary said:
“At a critical moment in history, this new consortium will bring
together the UK’s brightest and best scientists to build our
understanding of this pandemic, tackle the disease and
ultimately, save lives.
“As a Government we are working tirelessly to do all we can to
fight COVID-19 to protect as many lives and save as many jobs as
possible.”
Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir said:
“Genomic sequencing will help us understand COVID-19 and its
spread. It can also help guide treatments in the future and see
the impact of interventions.
“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.”
The UK Consortium, supported by the Government, including the
NHS, Public Health England, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI),
and Wellcome, 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.
Professor Sharon Peacock, Director of the National Infection
Service, Public Health England, said:
“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. 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.”
Professor Sir Mike Stratton, Director of the Wellcome Sanger
Institute, said:
“In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Sanger
Institute will deploy its large-scale sequencing platform
alongside regional sequencing centres to support UK Public Health
Agencies, regional NHS centres and several Universities to better
understand the coronavirus outbreak in the UK.
“Samples from substantial numbers of confirmed cases of COVID-19
will be whole genome sequenced and, employing the Sanger
Institute’s expertise in genomics and surveillance of infectious
diseases, our researchers will collaborate with other leading
groups across the country to analyse the data generated and work
out how coronavirus is spreading in the UK. This will inform
national and international strategies to control the pandemic and
prevent further spread.”
Sir Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome, said:
“By bringing together public health expertise from Public Health
England and genomic science from the Wellcome Sanger Institute
the UK can crack the code of this virus, and we should give
everyone involved huge credit for that.
“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.”
Professor Fiona Watt, Executive Chair of the Medical Research
Council, part of UK Research and Innovation said:
“The UK is a leader in cutting edge genome sequencing science. We
are now applying specialist expertise in our fight to slow the
spread of Coronavirus and accelerate treatments for those
affected.
“The ambitious and coordinated response of our research community
to the COVID-19 challenge is remarkable.”
This investment and the findings from the consortium will help
prepare the UK and the world for future pandemics.
