NIH is building vast nationwide study population of tens of thousands to support research into long-term effects of COVID-19



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Press release

Wednesday September 15, 2021

The National Institutes of Health has awarded nearly $ 470 million to build a national study population of various research volunteers and support large-scale studies on the long-term effects of COVID-19. NIH REsearching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) initiative awarded Parent Award to New York University (NYU) Langone Health, New York City, which will award multiple sub-awards to over 100 researchers at over 30 institutions and serves to RECOVER the core of clinical science. This major new award to NYU Langone supports new studies of COVID-19 survivors and builds on existing long-term cohort studies with an expansion of their research focus. This combined population of research participants from new and existing cohorts, called the meta-cohort, will constitute the RECOVER cohort. This funding was supported by the American Rescue Plan.

The NIH launched the RECOVER initiative to find out why some people have prolonged symptoms (called long COVIDs) or develop new or recurring symptoms after the acute phase of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the COVID-19. The most common symptoms are pain, headache, fatigue, “brain fog”, shortness of breath, anxiety, depression, fever, chronic cough, and sleep problems.

“We know that some people have seen their lives completely turned upside down by the main long-term effects of COVID-19,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, MD, Ph.D. “These studies will aim to determine the cause and find essential answers to prevent this often debilitating disease and help those who suffer from it to recover. “

Data from the RECOVER cohort will include clinical information, laboratory tests and analyzes of participants in various stages of recovery after infection with SARS-CoV-2. With immediate access to data from existing and diverse study populations, it is expected that researchers will be able to accelerate the timeline of this important research.

“This scientifically rigorous approach builds a collaborative and multidisciplinary research community comprising diverse research participants who are essential to inform the treatment and prevention of the long-term effects of COVID-19,” said Gary H. Gibbons, MD , director of the NIH National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and one of the co-chairs of the RECOVER initiative.

Researchers, those affected by the long COVID, and representatives of advocacy organizations worked together to develop the main RECOVER protocols that use standardized test designs and research methods to enable uniform assessment of populations studied across studies and the ability to quickly rotate the research focus based on what the results show. This approach allows data to be harmonized between research studies and the populations studied. Data harmonization allows data to be compared and analyzed, which will facilitate the research process and provide more robust results.

The studies will include adult, pregnant and pediatric populations; recruit patients during the acute and post-acute phases of SARS-CoV-2 infection; assess tissue pathology; analyze data from millions of electronic health records; and use mobile health technologies, such as smartphone apps and wearable devices, that will collect real-world data in real time. Taken together, these studies are expected to provide information over the next few months on many important questions, including the incidence and prevalence of long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the spectrum of symptoms, underlying causes, risk factors, outcomes and potential. treatment and prevention strategies.

“Given the range of symptoms that have been reported, intensive research using all available tools is needed to understand what is happening to block the recovery of this terrible virus. Importantly, the tissue pathology studies in RECOVER will allow for in-depth studies of the effects of the virus on all body systems, ”said Walter J. Koroshetz, MD, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH. and one of the RECOVER co-chairs.

Announcements of research opportunities were released in February 2021 and awards for the launch of the RECOVER clinical science and data resource core were announced in June. An award in support of a RECOVER biodepot core was also awarded to the Mayo Clinic for approximately $ 40 million to collect, organize and distribute a comprehensive source of clinical samples for further research studies. The Nuclei provide coordination and infrastructure for the RECOVER initiative, including supporting the activities of the consortium of researchers and ensuring that all data is harmonized and shared among researchers. In May and June, short-term fellowships were awarded to more than 30 institutions to develop the core protocols.

These awards pave the way for a better understanding of the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and allow researchers to identify potential interventions and preventive strategies.

About the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): NINDS is the largest national funder of brain and nervous system research. The mission of NINDS is to research fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use this knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. For more information, visit www.ninds.nih.gov.

About the National Heart, Lungs and Blood Institute (NHLBI): NHLBI is the world leader in conducting and supporting heart, lung and blood disease and sleep disorders research that advances scientific knowledge, improves public health and saves lives. For more information, visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):The NIH, the national agency for medical research, comprises 27 institutes and centers and is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services. The NIH is the principal federal agency that conducts and supports basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and studies the causes, treatments, and cures for common and rare diseases. For more information about the NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

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