74797COVID-19: Novel protease biomarkers to identify high-risk patientsClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKProAxsis is a Northern Ireland-based company which specialises in the measurement of a group of enzymes called proteases. Current tests being developed to support the fight against COVID-19 (the infectious disease caused by coronavirus) are focused on identifying patients who currently have, or have previously had, the virus. Whilst this is clearly useful, a longer-term aim is for healthcare professionals to be able to identify which people who catch the virus are likely to suffer the worst symptoms, and when new treatments are available, which patients are likely to need and respond best to these. This will allow the healthcare professionals looking after patients who contract the COVID-19 virus to know which patients are most likely to need to spend time in hospital, and to require more extensive treatments in order to maximise the chances of them recovering. It will also allow more specific treatment for each individual patient. ProAxsis will use its long-standing and unique expertise in the chemistry of proteases and _in vitro_ diagnostic development to create a brand new combination test, which will enable two key protease biomarkers, neutrophil elastase and cathepsin G, to be specifically measured in a much larger number of samples each day than is currently possible. Early clinical studies of patients in Chinese hospitals have highlighted that both of these proteases are linked with certain risk factors associated with people having poorer outcomes when infected with the COVID-19 virus. ProAxsis has the team in place, and the extensive experience required, to very rapidly create and then up-scale tests for both of these highly important targets. This project offers substantial positive benefits to both patients affected by the COVID-19 virus, and the healthcare professional teams providing them with clinical care. It will also provide new innovative tools to show how well the drugs currently being assessed for use in COVID-19 patients will work. In turn, this will support healthcare systems such as the UK's National Health Service (NHS) to prioritise which patients are likely to need the most support for their recovery from the virus, and which drugs they should prioritise to purchase from their limited budgets.