The University of Nottingham are helping to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic as members of the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium - comprised of the NHS, Public Health Agencies, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and numerous academic institutions across the country.
Professor Matthew Loose is the Academic Lead for DeepSeq, the University of Nottingham’s sequencing facility, which uses state of the art, and internationally recognised, rapid sequencing technologies. He and his highly experienced and dedicated team of experimental scientists and bioinformaticians receive samples from patients with confirmed COVID-19, from which the virus’ complete genome is sequenced.
Sequencing the virus’ entire genome will enable clinicians and public health teams to rapidly investigate clusters of cases in hospitals, care homes and the community and implement effective infection control measures. Not only will this help to inform current action against COVID-19, the research will also help prepare the UK and the world for future pandemics.
Professor Loose’s team are working alongside a network of sequencing centres, to allow scientists to map changes in the virus such as whether different strains are emerging and how it is spreading, on a national scale. This collaborative effort brings together an incredible depth of expertise, ensuring that results are rapidly obtained and delivered to policy makers, to inform clinical care and ultimately save lives.
Sequencing the virus’ entire genome will enable clinicians and public health teams to rapidly investigate clusters of cases in hospitals, care homes and the community and implement effective infection control measures. Not only will this help to inform current action against COVID-19, the research will also help prepare the UK and the world for future pandemics.
“We are proud to join this national partnership to track how the SARS-CoV-2 virus has affected the UK. The University of Nottingham has built an international reputation for genome sequencing at the Deep Seq facility at University of Nottingham and we are pleased to be able to support this initiative to generate and disseminate genomic information essential to better understand and combat this pandemic.”