Wales Gene Park: NGO against COVID-19 ^{Non-funding Support}

Entity: Wales Gene Park
Category: non-funding support
Description: As a Health and Care Research Wales funded Infrastructure Support Group, Wales Gene Park aims to support the implementation of the Welsh Government’s Genomics for Precision Medicine Strategy by:
. Promoting and facilitating high quality genetic and genomic health research in Wales.
. Ensuring seamless translation of advances in genetics and genomics to improve NHS services and for commercialisation.
. Ensuring the informed involvement of patients, public and professionals in the development of genomic medicine in Wales.

1. Project
Genomics Partnership Wales (GPW)

In July 2017, the Genomics for Precision Medicine Strategy was launched by Vaughan Gething, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, and sets out Welsh Government’s ambitious plan “to create a sustainable, internationally-competitive environment for genetics and genomics to improve health and healthcare provision for the people of Wales”.

Genomics Partnership Wales (GPW) – Partneriaeth Genomeg Cymru – has been formed to establish a united approach to genomics in Wales and represents a number of organisations across several disciplines coming together to deliver a programme of work that will enable the ambition and commitment laid out in the Genomics Strategy to be realised.

Key organisations include Welsh Government, the All Wales Medical Genetics Service, Wales Gene Park, Public Health Wales, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Higher Education Institutions in Wales as well as other stakeholders and collaborators.

2. project
The COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative
https://www.covid19hg.org/partners/

Affiliation: Cardiff University, Wales Gene Park, All Wales Medical Genomics Service, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, SAIL databank (Swansea University) and NHS.

Research question: How does variation in the human genome contribute to COVID-19 susceptibility and disease severity?
Study design: Genomics Partnership Wales, Wales Gene Park, and the All Wales Medical Genomics Service are collaborating with colleagues from Cardiff University Division of Infection and Immunity, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, and the SAIL databank (Swansea University). We will undertake genomic analysis (SNP genotyping and whole genome sequencing) of patients with severe COVID-19. The genomic data will be linked to pathogen genomes, transcriptomics, immune phenotyping and health outcome data, with the aim of contributing to national and international efforts to understand the host genomic determinants of COVID-19 susceptibility and severity.
Study Type: Prospective
Genetic analysis: WGS; GWAS
Assays planned: Viral sequencing, Transcriptomics, Immune profiling
Investigators: Andrew Fry, Julian Sampson, Sian Morgan, Ian Tully, Michaela John