7 April 2020

Rapid-response funding available for new research into coronavirus across King’s Health Partners.

30 projects will be led by researchers from across King’s Health Partners who are uniquely placed to bring cutting-edge research into excellent patient care and investigate the challenges created by COVID-19. 

The work will start immediately with projects researching the development of diagnostic tests, trials of potential therapies as well as the economic impacts of the coronavirus.

Other projects will investigate approaches to predicting individual responses to the coronavirus in the most vulnerable patients and the consequences of the current situation for the mental health of NHS staff, patients and students.

Prof Reza Razavi, Director of Research at King’s Health Partners and Vice President and Vice Principal of Research, King’s College London, said:

It is only right in this time of a national health emergency, that we mobilise our community and fund their research that will help end this pandemic more quickly and ultimately save lives. King’s College London is at the forefront of innovation and research so I am confident that this new research will offer vital contributions to the understanding and treatment of COVID-19.

King’s College London has also issued a public call for donations towards its King’s College London COVID-19 Response Appeal to help ensure researchers, academics, clinicians and medical students have the resources and materials they need to make progress even faster.

Prof Sir Robert Lechler, Senior Vice President/Provost (Health), King’s College London, and Executive Director of King’s Health Partners, said:

We all have a key role to play during this highly unusual and uncertain time. King’s College London researchers and clinicians will work tirelessly to gain further insight into this novel virus, and to find the solutions that we so desperately need.
However, we can’t do this alone. By donating today, you will be supporting those affected during one of the most challenging times we have collectively faced. Your donations will be providing support in vital research and you will be directly impacting our fight against this disease.

Some of the projects that have received funding include:

The immune response to COVID-19

To manage the current crisis effectively, doctors need to be able to identify patients who are most likely in need of intensive care. COVID-IP is a fast-response study of immune responses in COVID-19 patients admitted at St Thomas’ Hospital. Despite treatment, a significant proportion may deteriorate within approximately a week, requiring breathing-support on the intensive care unit. Although age and underlying conditions are risk factors, they are not completely reliable predictors.

COVID-IP will build on existing, internationally recognised expertise to monitor patients’ immune responses throughout their first few days in hospital, allowing them to act fast and create immediate impact.

Rapid diagnostic testing

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, there will be increasing pressure to deliver the rise in sample testing required. A key bottleneck in the COVID-19 crisis is quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) testing.

This bottleneck is comprised of sample preparation time, staff needed and quantity of reagents. This project will leverage the local resources in King’s College London School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences to create reserve contingency diagnostics to facilitate rapid COVID-19 testing of NHS samples at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

To learn about more projects receiving funding and read the full article, visit King’s College London’s website.