Life sciences research organisation Verily has partnered with Janssen Research & Development on a home-based study to investigate the early immune system response to COVID-19 infection.
The COVID-19 Immune Response Study will collect detailed information about how the SARS-CoV-2 virus affects the immune system, as soon as someone tests positive for COVID-19.
It will enrol participants with a confirmed, positive COVID-19 diagnosis, and the volunteers will participate from home.
Researchers will collect biological measurements, clinical and epidemiological data at the time of COVID-19 testing.
This information will be use to characterise biomarkers associated with progression of disease resulting from COVID-19 infection, over 28 days.
“Acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by SARS-COV-2 and other viral and bacterial pathogens carries with it a high mortality rate, and more than 2.2 million people will suffer each year as a result,” said James Merson, global head of infectious diseases R&D, Janssen.
“Since immune response patterns observed in COVID-19 patients are similar to those caused by other respiratory pathogens, it is our hope to apply the findings from this study beyond COVID-19 to other illnesses that carry a high patient burden,” he added.
The researchers will also collect real-world data from participants from up to two years prior to enrolment in the study and up to two years following the last study assessment.
“There is a critical need for studies to identify biomarkers and potential signals which will give clinicians the ability to make evidence-based treatment decisions, allocate resources and facilitate more meaningful conversations with patients and families about the anticipated disease trajectory,” said Faith Holmes, primary investigator of the COVID-19 Immune Response Study.
“This study will have the ability to contribute to a myriad of future studies to shed some light on these issues,” she added.
Verily is also conducting another programme – the Baseline COVID-19 testing programme – to advance and expand testing and containment for COVID-19 in the US.