National COVID-19 studies supported by Cambridge
Alongside the excellent care our staff are delivering, we are using our tremendous research capabilities to better understand COVID-19 and its successful management, including development of innovative approaches to testing and treatment.
National studies that we are supporting in Cambridge Hospitals include: PRIEST (Pandemic Respiratory Infection Emergency System Triage) to optimise the triage of people using the emergency care system; RECOVERY (Randomised Evaluation of COvid-19 thERapY), a trial of potential therapies that can be adapted to introduce new treatment arms as potential therapies emerge; and REMAP-CAP (Randomised, Embedded, Multifactorial, Adaptive Platform trial), a trial designed to evaluate a number of treatment options simultaneously and efficiently in critically ill patients.
We have also developed a new research resource in the NIHR COVID-19 BioResource, which allows all patients admitted to Cambridge hospitals to participate in research studies by providing biological samples and health information. The NIHR COVID-19 BioResource will be instrumental in understanding why the virus affects people in such different ways and identifying new treatments.
Our SAMBA (simple amplification-based assay) point of care test is helping us rapidly find out whether patients have COVID-19 and ensure that they receive the right treatment in the right ward of the hospital.
We would like to thank all of the clinical and research staff who have made these remarkable achievements possible in such a short period of time, as well as all of the patients who have participated in our studies and made such a valuable contribution to improving care and treatment for COVID-19.
Page last reviewed: 16 June 2021.
This list will be updated when new studies open to patients on site; please visit here for recruiting studies led by CUH.
A list of the national studies already prioritised and approved by NIHR can be found here.
Identifying potential treatments for COVID-19. This national trial is recruiting adult patients with confirmed COVID-19. Treatments currently tested in the trial include anti-retrovirals, hydroxychloroquine or steroids, which are compared with standard ‘supportive care’. However, the trial has an ‘adaptive design’ which means that treatments can be removed if they are shown to be ineffective, or added as other promising treatments emerge. Study led locally by Dr Martin Knolle.
Testing the accuracy of triage methods in the emergency room to identify patients in most urgent need of treatment. Led by Dr Adrian Boyle and Susie Hardwick, this study will use de-identified patient data from the early phases of the pandemic to assess the accuracy of current triage methods for patients presenting with respiratory symptoms, and potentially develop improved systems for use later in the pandemic.
This international study aims to generate evidence to reduce mortality, admission to intensive and morbidity in severely ill patients with COVID-19 infection. The trial is similar to RECOVERY, but is based in intensive care. It will test multiple treatments at the same time (antivirals, immune modulation drugs and corticosteroids) and more treatments will be added as new evidence emerges. If a treatment is beneficial, more patients will be treated with that drug within the trial, improving outcomes and reducing ICU stays. This study is led locally by Dr Charlotte Summers.
This study aims to identify genes that cause some people to be more susceptible to specific infections such as COVID-19. Identifying genes that cause some people to have greater risk will enable better use of existing treatments and the design of new treatments. DNA and cells from patients participating in this study will be compared with samples from healthy people to help identify the genes involved. This study is led locally by Dr Charlotte Summers.
This study is designed for the rapid, coordinated clinical investigation of patients with confirmed novel coronavirus infection. This UK-wide consortium aims to use clinical data to answer urgent questions about COVID-19 quickly and transparently.
Coronavirus infection in immunosuppressed children: This study will allow families of immunosuppressed children and young people to self-record their experiences of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and other viral respiratory illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participating parents and children will be provided with online information and asked to fill in weekly questionnaires about their experiences. Information collected will include medications they take that affect their immune system, symptoms they have, whether they have contact with health care providers, test results and the impact of infection on daily activities.
UKOSS: Pandemic Influenza in Pregnancy. This NIHR supported study is a national study of women hospitalised with confirmed COVID-19 in pregnancy. The study will use the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) to collect information about all pregnant women admitted to hospital who are confirmed to have the virus infection to better understand how common the infection is in pregnant women, what treatment they were given and the outcomes of COVID-19 in pregnancy. The data will be used to identify factors associated with better outcomes for women and their babies in COVID-19 infection, to inform ongoing guidance for women and maternity staff in response to the pandemic. UKOSS is led by Professor Marian Knight, from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford.
COVID-19 Phase II/III Vaccine Study (COV002). CUH are working with Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) and the Royal Papworth Hospital on a UK clinical trial led by the University of Oxford, which aims to trial a candidate vaccine called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. This trial is recruiting healthcare staff from participating hospitals who are working in clinical or patient-facing areas, are over 18 years old and are in good health. Staff who are interested can email to find out more.
COVID-19 Research for healthy volunteers and those with mild symptoms
The studies listed above are all recruiting patients who are hospitalised with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. If you have experienced mild COVID-19 symptoms or have not had the infection, there are still a variety of ways that you can support essential COVID-19 research. You can find out more about those opportunities here.
More information about COVID-19 research in Cambridge
Researchers from across Cambridge are collaborating closely to understand COVID-19 better and identify successful diagnostics and treatments. The links below highlight how we are working with our partners on the Biomedical Campus and throughout Cambridge on these essential studies:
- COVID-19 research studies from the University of Cambridge Department of Public Health and Primary Care
- Cambridge Fights COVID website outlining the collaborative COVID-19 effort across the Cambridge Biomedical Campus
- COVID-19 related research from the University of Cambridge
Information for Research Teams
If you are a researcher in or around Cambridge who is looking for healthy volunteers for COVID-19 research or would like to involve our PPI panel in your research, please get in touch with the CUH R&D PPI and Communications team at brccomms@addenbrookes.nhs.uk.
In order to feature in this list, the study needs to be registered through CUH R&D and be recruiting patients from in and around Cambridge. Cambridge based researchers are welcome to involve the CUH PPI panel at any stage of their research project or proposal.
Discover more about the NIHR Cambridge BRC
Contact us by phone, email or web for more information.
Events Calendar
Listing relevant events and training sessions for researchers and members of the public.