COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK)
Lead Research Organisation:
Public Health England
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
MRC are investing £6m through the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium (COG-UK), which has received a total of £20.79m in partnership with DHSC and Wellcome, to a large scale and rapid SARS-CoV-2 sequencing capacity and share this knowledge with hospitals and the NHS.
Other contributions are from DHSC and Wellcome via Wellcome Sanger.
The current COVID-19 pandemic represents a major threat to health in the UK and globally. SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequencing capacity in UK NHS clinical microbiology network and within Public Health England (PHE) is of limited daily capacity. However, the UK has world leading expertise in genomics within PHE, at multiple regional University hubs, and within large centres such as the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
The proposed COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) – Consortium, will deliver a large scale and rapid SARS-CoV-2 sequencing capacity to local NHS centres and the UK government at pace. The primary achievement of this consortium will be the generation of actionable data which when combined with epidemiological and clinical information has the potential to inform interventions and policy decisions during the current UK COVID-19 epidemic. This sequencing capacity will enable real time evaluation of novel treatments and non-pharmacological interventions on SARS-CoV-2 populations and spread, and provide information on introductions versus community transmission and outbreaks. It will also evaluate signals of changing transmissibility and virulence. In the longer term, the full integration of UK population level SARS-CoV-2 genomics data, with matching NHS electronic health records, patient outcomes, human genomics and metagenomics data has the potential to generate insights into susceptibility to COVID-19 disease. Finally, the substantial new nationwide capacity in sequencing infrastructure, informatics and personnel that will be built by COG-UK will remain at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as significant asset for the NHS, UKRI and UK Government.
Other contributions are from DHSC and Wellcome via Wellcome Sanger.
The current COVID-19 pandemic represents a major threat to health in the UK and globally. SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequencing capacity in UK NHS clinical microbiology network and within Public Health England (PHE) is of limited daily capacity. However, the UK has world leading expertise in genomics within PHE, at multiple regional University hubs, and within large centres such as the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
The proposed COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) – Consortium, will deliver a large scale and rapid SARS-CoV-2 sequencing capacity to local NHS centres and the UK government at pace. The primary achievement of this consortium will be the generation of actionable data which when combined with epidemiological and clinical information has the potential to inform interventions and policy decisions during the current UK COVID-19 epidemic. This sequencing capacity will enable real time evaluation of novel treatments and non-pharmacological interventions on SARS-CoV-2 populations and spread, and provide information on introductions versus community transmission and outbreaks. It will also evaluate signals of changing transmissibility and virulence. In the longer term, the full integration of UK population level SARS-CoV-2 genomics data, with matching NHS electronic health records, patient outcomes, human genomics and metagenomics data has the potential to generate insights into susceptibility to COVID-19 disease. Finally, the substantial new nationwide capacity in sequencing infrastructure, informatics and personnel that will be built by COG-UK will remain at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as significant asset for the NHS, UKRI and UK Government.
People |
ORCID iD |
Publications
Aggarwal D
(2022)
Genomic assessment of quarantine measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 importation and transmission.
in Nature communications
Aggarwal D
(2022)
Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a UK university identifies dynamics of transmission.
in Nature communications
Aggarwal D
(2022)
The role of viral genomics in understanding COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities.
in The Lancet. Microbe
Allen H
(2022)
Household transmission of COVID-19 cases associated with SARS-CoV-2 delta variant (B.1.617.2): national case-control study
in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe
Ashford F
(2022)
SARS-CoV-2 Testing in the Community: Testing Positive Samples with the TaqMan SARS-CoV-2 Mutation Panel To Find Variants in Real Time.
in Journal of clinical microbiology
Baker DJ
(2021)
CoronaHiT: high-throughput sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 genomes.
in Genome medicine
Boshier FAT
(2022)
Evolution of viral variants in remdesivir-treated and untreated SARS-CoV-2-infected pediatrics patients.
in Journal of medical virology
Boshier FAT
(2021)
The Alpha variant was not associated with excess nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infection in a multi-centre UK hospital study.
in The Journal of infection
Brunner FS
(2022)
City-wide wastewater genomic surveillance through the successive emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Delta variants.
in Water research
| Description | CMO office rapid advice |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | Individual COG-UK members, and the consortium as a whole, have been asked to provide rapid, informal and formal advice to the Chief Medical Officer on a range of topics, during the pandemic. This input from COG-UK will have contributed to advice from the CMO to government and influenced policy in a range of areas. |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/people/christopher-whitty |
| Description | CSA office rapid advice |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | Individual COG-UK members, and the consortium as a whole, have been asked to provide rapid, informal and formal advice to the Chief Scientific Adviser on a range of topics, during the pandemic. This input from COG-UK will have contributed to advice from the CSA to government and influenced policy in a range of areas. |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/people/patrick-vallance |
| Description | Cabinet Office cross-Whitehall meeting (XWM) on genomics |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Children's Task and Finish Group (TFC): COVID-19 in higher education settings |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Members from three COG-UK partner institutions, and Public Health Scotland, provided summary advice from their analyses using genomic surveillance among staff and students in higher education settings. This summary advice was incorporated with data from the Office for National Statistics and Public Health England into the Children's Task and Finish Group (TFC): COVID-19 in higher education settings report, which was commissioned form SAGE by the Department for Education. This report will be used when establishing DfE policy on COVID-19 control measures that will be put into practice in higher education settings going forward. |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronaviru... |
| Description | DEFRA/JBC Wastewater COVID-19 monitoring in the UK |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Environmental Modelling Group (EMG) Transmission Group |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | COG-UK members are participating in the EMG transmission group, providing insights about where genomic data might be useful for informing patterns of transmission. |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emgspi-btweg-mitigations-to-reduce-transmission-of-the-ne... |
| Description | Ethnicity Working Group |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronaviru... |
| Description | Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | COG-UK worked with the FCO to provide information on SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing in the UK, including sampling strategy, sequencing protocols, data management, bioinformatic analysis tools, data sharing and insights gained. This information, in the form of a post note, was shared with researchers and organisations around the world interested in establishing or expanding their own SARS-CoV-2 genomics programme. Contact and conversations between COG-UK members and individuals in multiple countries have been undertaken as a result of the post note. |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-office |
| Description | Illumina Scientific Advisory Board on Genomic Surveillance and Infectious Disease |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Illumina sponsored symposium at ECCMID 2023 |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | PHE variant Technical Group |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | COG-UK members sit on the PHE variant technical group and have provided data and analyses that have been fundamental to a series of technical briefings on variants of concern that have been released since mid-December 2020. These reports have informed SAGE and the UK government about novel variants of concern arising in the UK, and elsewhere, and have contributed to advice that has helped to shape policy and SARS-CoV-2 control practice across the UK and internationally. |
| URL | https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/9612... |
| Description | Participation in British High Commission Ottawa science diplomacy video series - UK, Canada & Global Health |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| URL | https://ukincanada.com/science-diplomacy-health/ |
| Description | Participation in Hospital Onset COVID-19 (HOCI) Working Group |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronaviru... |
| Description | Participation in New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | COG-UK members have worked closely with NERVTAG to integrate genomic data into analysis and advice on a range of areas, including but not limited to, linking genetic changes in SARS-CoV-2 (i.e. mutations and variants) to phenotypic changes in the virus influencing transmission, disease severity and susceptibility to drugs/vaccines; Danish mink SARS-CoV-2 variant outbreak; B.1.1.7 variant (and others). The advice based on these analyses have been used to inform policy decisions and practical measures that will have influenced SARS-CoV-2 transmission among the public. |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/new-and-emerging-respiratory-virus-threats-advisory-group |
| Description | Participation in Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) meetings |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | COG-UK members contribute to SAGE meetings on a weekly and ad hoc basis, providing genomic insights that have been used to influence policy and practice in a range of areas that impact patients and the wider general public. These areas include, but are not limited to, SARS-CoV-2 transmission in hospital, care home, work place and community settings, importation of SARS-CoV-2 lineages into the UK, export of lineages from the UK, mutational surveillance, identifying and tracking variants of concern. Analysis of genomic data by COG-UK and other groups have been taken into consideration when providing advice on policy at a national and regional level during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies |
| Description | Participation in Social Care Working Group |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | COG-UK data was used to analyse a number of social care outbreaks in the UK. COG-UK members undertook and systematic review of genomic epidemiology studies in social care settings around the world, the conclusions of which were few in to the social care working group and used to inform policy & practice on efforts to track and limit spread of SARS-CoV-2 in these settings. |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronaviru... |
| Description | Participation in a UN technical briefing on SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | The briefing brought together an international panel to discuss how a coordinated and rapid response might best tackle existing and emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Providing a view of the lessons learned in the UK (through COG-UK) was valuable in encouraging other countries to establish genomic surveillance programmes to inform public health responses by enabling the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 evolution, transmission and spread of variants of concern. |
| URL | https://www.cogconsortium.uk/how-can-we-protect-the-world-from-the-new-variants-of-concern/ |
| Description | Participation in delivering the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | The Royal Institute Christmas lectures are targeted at educating young people about STEM related subject matter. However they are widely watched across a broad demographic. Providing insights on the work of COG-UK and the utility of genome sequencing as part of the UK pandemic response helped to inform the public on the potential and importance of integrating genome sequencing into public health policy and, potentially enthused a generation of future genomic scientists in the UK and beyond. |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pmbqq |
| Description | Scottish Parliament COVID-19 Recovery Committee |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/sessio... |
| Description | Leveraging COG-UK expertise to support the global dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing |
| Amount | £492,566 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 223271/Z/21/Z |
| Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2021 |
| End | 06/2023 |
| Description | Testing Innovation Fund |
| Amount | £4,999,999 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Government of the UK |
| Department | Department of Health and Social Care |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2021 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Title | Computational methods for robust SARS-Cov-2 Variant of Concern detection and Variant of Interest classification |
| Description | Computational methods for robust SARS-Cov-2 Variant of Concern detection and Variant of Interest classification |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Northumbria University is working on developing computational methods for robust SARS-Cov-2 Variant of Concern detection and Variant of Interest classification |
| Title | Development and deployment of a sequencing pipeline for seasonal human coronaviruses to monitor for recombination with SARS-CoV-2 and post-pandemic evolution |
| Description | The University of Nottingham will develop and deploy a sequencing pipeline for seasonal human coronaviruses to monitor for recombination with SARS-CoV-2 and post-pandemic evolution. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The University of Nottingham will develop and deploy a sequencing pipeline for seasonal human coronaviruses to monitor for recombination with SARS-CoV-2 and post-pandemic evolution. |
| Title | Enhancing Diagnosis of Returning Travellers to the UK |
| Description | The MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research plan to evaluate the capacity for emerging metagenomic methods to enhance the diagnosis of viruses causing undiagnosed febrile illness in returning travellers to the UK. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Diagnostic gap that could be filled using novel agnostic testing technologies. |
| Title | Improvements to Diagnostic Metagenomics |
| Description | The University of Nottingham & Nottingham University Hospitals Trust will further develop their in-house partnership and capability for diagnostic metagenomics using both targeted and unbiased methodologies. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Address the shortfall in disseminated, rapid and flexible molecular diagnostic tools beyond those that are available to most NHS laboratories. Focus on samples from patients that have been hospitalised with symptomatic undiagnosed respiratory illness, including critically ill cohorts requiring intensive high dependency care. |
| Title | Method to Enhance Recovery of Viral Genomes |
| Description | The University of Sheffield plans to Establish a new method to enhance efficient recovery of viral genomes using Oxford Nanopore Technology sequencing devices |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This will characterise the virome in immunosuppressed and critically ill patients. |
| Title | Optimise Approaches to Virus Metagenomics |
| Description | The Royal Veterinary College & University of Oxford plan to test and optimise approaches for virus metagenomics on portable sequencing platforms, improving enrichment of viral reads using on-device selective sequencing. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This will contribute to efforts to detect zoonotic viruses and use virus genomes to reconstruct unobserved outbreak dynamics, even in resource-limited settings. |
| Title | RonaQC: An online resource for SARS-CoV2 Quality control |
| Description | SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance depends on high-quality sequence data that has been through stringent quality control (QC) steps. This is relatively straightforward to achieve in established sequencing laboratories. But in laboratories just beginning SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing, tools to support QC could have considerable utility. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The Quadram Institute will develop an online resource for SARS-CoV-2 genome QC, improving data quality over and above standard QC processes. The tool can be repurposed for other pathogens, which is a great future benefit |
| URL | https://www.cogconsortium.uk/priority-areas/research/cog-uk-research-project-fund/genome-quality-con... |
| Title | Using a probabilistic model to infer transmission directionality during a hospital-associated SARS-CoV-2 outbreak |
| Description | The University of Exeter plans to implement models to infer transmission directionality during hospital-associated infection |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This will improve linkage and integration of genomes with metadata to enhance the pandemic response |
| Title | COG-UK Mutation Explorer (COG-UK-ME) |
| Description | The COG-UK Mutation Explorer (COG-UK-ME) is an interface that provides access to data on SARS-CoV-2 mutations and variants of interest in the COG-UK genome sequence data set. Data are drawn from the MRC-CLIMB database. The COG-UK-ME largely focuses on spike gene mutations of potential or known importance based on epidemiological, clinical and/or experimental observations. |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Easily accessible and open access interface. COG-UK-ME currently has around 5,000 users per month, with approximately 30% from the UK, 20% from the US and the remainder from other international locations. Using visualisation tools, COG-UK-ME allows users to identify the emergence of variants carrying mutations that could decrease the neutralising activity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) present in therapeutic cocktails, e.g., Ronapreve, and antivirals. COG-UK-ME tracks also changes in frequency of combination of mutations and brings together curated literature on the impact of those mutations on various functional aspects of the virus and therapeutics. |
| URL | http://sars2.cvr.gla.ac.uk/cog-uk/ |
| Title | Comprehensive UK SARS-CoV-2 sequencing dataset |
| Description | The COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) - Consortium, which will deliver a large scale and rapid SARS-CoV-2 sequencing capacity to the four UK Public Health Agencies (UK-PHA), local NHS centres and the UK government at pace. The primary achievement of this consortium will be the generation of actionable data which when combined with epidemiological and clinical information has the potential to inform interventions and policy decisions during the current UK COVID-19 epidemic. This sequencing capacity will enable real time evaluation of novel treatments and non-pharmacological interventions on SARS-CoV-2 populations and spread, and provide information on introductions versus community transmission and outbreaks. It will also evaluate signals of changing transmissibility and virulence.In the longer term, the full integration of UK population level SARS-CoV-2 genomics data, with matching NHS electronic health records, patient outcomes, human genomics and metagenomics data has the potential to generate insights into susceptibility to COVID-19 disease. Finally, the substantial new nationwide capacity in sequencing infrastructure, informatics and personnel that will be built by COGUK will remain at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a significant asset for the NHS, UK-PHA, UKRI and UK Government. |
| Type Of Material | Data handling & control |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | COG-UK sits at the interface of public health action and academic research. We are committed to open science, and sharing all data that we can as rapidly as possible. This includes sharing data for use by Public Health authorities internationally, to support the COVID-19 response, and sharing data in such a way that the academic community can access and use the data and analysis according to FAIR data principles. |
| URL | https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena/browser/view/PRJEB37886 |
| Description | HOCI, The COG-UK Project Hospital-Onset COVID-19 Infections Study |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COG-UK is working with HOCI to ensure that participants in the HOCI study are linked with SARS-CoV-2 sequencing data. The COG-UK HOCI study is investigating how integrating rapid, real-time COVID-19 genomic sequencing can impact decision-making by infection control teams to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in NHS hospitals. The study is funded by COG-UK and benefits from the extensive network of existing sequencing partners across the UK. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Use of virus (Covid-19) genome sequence report to inform infection prevention control procedures. 2,000 patients will be recruited to the study at approximately 15 NHS hospitals across the UK. |
| Impact | A first-of-its kind clinical trial led by scientists at UCL, the COG-UK HOCI study will evaluate the use of 'real time' viral genomic data to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within hospitals. The study's findings could help the NHS reduce further transmission of the virus by determining if an individual caught the virus from someone else within the same hospital. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | REACT, The Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission study |
| Organisation | Imperial College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COG-UK is working with REACT to ensure that participants in the REACT study are linked with SARS-CoV-2 sequencing data. Regular meetings are held to coordinate this activity and data is shared through UK public health agencies. |
| Collaborator Contribution | REACT (REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission) is a series of studies that are using home testing to improve our understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic is progressing across England. It is the largest population surveillance study being undertaken in England that examines the prevalence of the virus causing COVID-19 in the general population, involving over 150,000 participants each month. |
| Impact | The findings will provide the government with a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and the risks associated with different population subgroups throughout England. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | SIREN, Sarscov2 Immunity & Reinfection Evaluation. The impact of detectable anti SARS-COV2 antibody on the incidence of COVID-19 in healthcare workers. |
| Organisation | Public Health England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | COG-UK is working with SIREN to ensure that participants in the SIREN study are linked with SARS-CoV-2 sequencing data. |
| Collaborator Contribution | SIREN is working with COG-UK to ensure that participants in the SIREN study are linked with SARS-CoV-2 sequencing data. |
| Impact | Regular meetings are held to coordinate this activity and data is shared through UK public health agencies. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | The Office of National Statistics (ONS) COVID-19 Infection Survey (CIS) |
| Organisation | Office for National Statistics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | COG-UK is working with ONS to ensure that participants in the ONS study are linked with SARS-CoV-2 sequencing data. Regular meetings are held to coordinate this activity and data is shared through UK public health agencies. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The overall purpose of this study is to understand how many people of different ages across the UK have already had COVID-19, even if they do not know they had it. |
| Impact | This will help the government work out how to manage the pandemic better moving forwards and protect the NHS from being overwhelmed. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | VIVALDI, National study launched to find out about COVID-19 infections in care homes. |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The aim of this study is to find out how many care home staff and residents have been infected with COVID-19, to inform decisions around the best approach to COVID-19 testing in the future. COG-UK is working with VIVALDI to ensure that participants in the VIVALDI study are linked with SARS-CoV-2 sequencing data. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The aim of the study is to find out how many care home staff and residents have been infected with COVID-19, to inform decisions around the best approach to COVID-19 testing in the future. |
| Impact | This is the largest care home study in England. Our goal is to use our results to inform national policy on COVID-19 testing and prevent infections in care homes. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | COG-UK LinkedIn profile |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | COG-UK has a LinkedIn profile and have contributed regular posts since March 2020, currently the profile has over 2000 followers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022,2023 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/company/cog-uk-consortium/ |
| Description | COG-UK LinkedIn profile |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | COG-UK has a LinkedIn profile and have contributed regular posts since March 2020, currently the profile has over 500 followers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| Description | COG-UK Newsletter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The first COG-UK newsletter was released in January 2021, a further seventeen newsletters were released during 2021 and 2022. The newsletters are sent to consortium members, the COG-UK website has a sign-up link for all interested members of the public. The aim of the newsletter is to provide information on consortium activities, particularly mentions in the media, new blogs, events and publications. Recipients reported feeling more engaged with the whole consortium. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023 |
| Description | COG-UK Newsletter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The first COG-UK newsletter was released in January 2021, a further eight newsletters were released in 2021 and the first of 2022 has gone out in February. The newsletters are sent to consortium members, the COG-UK website has a sign-up link for all interested members of the public. The aim of the newsletter is to provide information on consortium activities, particularly mentions in the media, new blogs, events and publications. Recipients reported feeling more engaged with the whole consortium. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| URL | https://mailchi.mp/e152361af384/cog-newsletter-5753608?e=4b491c9180 |
| Description | COG-UK Twitter feed |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | @CovidGenomicsUK has over 18000 followers and has tweeted over 2900 times since March 2020. There is a high degree of engagement (likes, comments, retweets, mentions). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022,2023 |
| URL | https://twitter.com/CovidGenomicsUK |
| Description | Foreign Press Association press conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | An hour long press conference was given by 3 COG-UK scientists to the Foreign Press Association on 5th February. Over 60 foreign journalists attended and the feedback was very positive. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://fpalondon-org.zoom.us/rec/play/TG2Zz7YD_k6jqZdp2RoEY8_DOeaC1rPjJGKyv1IMCwdSVdY1Bk9eUrT2cidoZ... |
| Description | History of COG-UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | "Cracking Covid: The History of COG-UK" is an online exhibition launching mid-March 2023. Chronicling the history and legacy of COG-UK. Written and collated by Dr Lara Marks and hosted on the "What is biotechnology?" website, a leading educational and public engagement platform. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.WhatisBiotechnology.org/index.php/exhibitions/coguk/ |
| Description | Online Science Showcase Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | On the 16th December 2020, the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium presented its first 'Showcase Event': SARS-CoV-2 sequencing to inform clinical care, public health interventions and policy decision. The event lasted 3.5 hours and has been watched over 61000 times on YouTube. The aim was to inform and educate the viewers. COG-UK's Anniversary Science Showcase event was held on 26th March 2021. The afternoon was packed with nine short talks on the themes of massive sequencing, molecular testing, variant distribution/detection/prioritization and the implications for patients and prevention. The event lasted 3.5 hours and has been watched over 1000 times on YouTube. The aim was to inform and educate the viewers. On Thursday 7th October COG-UK presented it's third Science Showcase event to learn about the role of SARS-CoV-2 genomics in COVID-19 national studies. The event lasted 3.5 hours and has been watched over 250 times on YouTube. The aim was to inform and educate the viewers. Another Science Showcase event will be held in 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRK2xgtiJ2amLfmeNUBx1PA/videos |
| Description | Online Showcase Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | On the 16th December 2020, the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium presented its first 'Showcase Event': SARS-CoV-2 sequencing to inform clinical care, public health interventions and policy decision. The event lasted 3.5 hours and has been watched over 61000 times on YouTube. The aim was to inform and educate the viewers, the agenda is below. A similar event will be held on 26th March 2021. 0:00 - 2:30 Professor Sharon Peacock, Executive Director and Chair, COG-UK 2:31 - 5:18 Sir Patrick Vallance, UK Government Chief Scientific Advisor 5:19 - 7:35 Session 1 introduction: Overview of lineage introduction and transmission. Chair: Dr Rob Orford, Chief Scientific Adviser for Health, Welsh Government 7:36 - 19:02 Scotland. Professor Matt Holden, University of St Andrews and Public Health Scotland 19:03 - 29:46 Wales. Professor Tom Connor, Cardiff University and Public Health Wales 29:47 - 42:18 Northern Ireland. Dr Derek Fairley, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust 42:19 - 50:39 Session summary and Implications for policy and practice. Professor Deenan Pillay, University College London 50:40 - 1:04:02 Questions and break 1:04:03 - 1:08:19 Session 2 introduction: Overview of Genomic-Informed Evidence on Transmission in Specific Environments. Chair: Professor David Crossman, Dean & Head of School of Medicine, University of St Andrews 1:08:20 - 1:20:44 Hospitals. Dr Estee Torok, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 1:21:26 - 1:29:50 Care homes. Dr Andrew Page, Quadram Institute, Norwich 1:30:32 - 1:43:00 Universities. Dr Ben Warne, University of Cambridge 1:44:00 - 1:57:38 Sentinel surveillance using pillar 2 samples. Dr Jeff Barrett, Wellcome Sanger Institute 1:57:47 - 2:11:04 The HOCI study. Professor Judy Breuer, University College London 2:11:15 - 2:16:49 Session summary and Implications for policy and practice. Professor Gordon Dougan, University of Cambridge 2:16:50 - 2:24:06 Break 2:24:07 - 2:24:35 Session 3 introduction: SARS-CoV-2 Mutations - Implications for Transmission, Disease Severity, Therapeutics and Vaccines. Chair: Dr Andrew Jermy, External Communications Lead, COG-UK 2:24:36 - 2:36:22 Overview: prevalence, tracking and importance. Professor David Robertson, University of Glasgow 2:36:41 - 2:46:50 Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 Genetic Variants. Dr Erik Volz, Imperial College London 2:47:09 - 2:58:33 Mutations and clinical consequences. Professor Emma Thomson, University of Glasgow 2:58:44 - 3:15:10 SARS-CoV-2 mutational escape from therapeutic convalescent plasma. Professor Ravi Gupta, University of Cambridge 3:15:48 - 3:25:30 Coordination of mutation data for public health use. Dr Alessandro Carabelli, University of Cambridge 3:25:55 - 3:27:15 Closing remarks from the Director of COG-UK. Professor Sharon Peacock, Executive Director and Chair, COG-UK |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3CT9N89L-c&feature=youtu.be |
| Description | Online Women in COG Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The COG-UK consortium has over 500 members with a range of scientific and business expertise in genomics, bioinformatics, operations clinical science and public health. Women in COG is a supportive network to share experience and knowledge and to promote science careers in women and girls. These are a series of monthly lunchtime Women in COG events and everyone (regardless of gender) is welcome to attend. The events feature a conversation with a guest or consortium member followed by an informal Q&A with the audience. We engage roughly 100 attendees per event, and over 100+ views on the recordings and blog write ups after each event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| URL | https://www.cogconsortium.uk/news/?category=women-in-cog |
| Description | Online and in person COG-UK Together Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | On Thursday 14th October 2021, members from across the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium came together to share their experiences as part of the collective sequencing effort that has been a key element of the UK pandemic response. The event, called COG-UK Together, was not a standard scientific meeting, but rather saw members discussing not only the scientific achievements of their teams but also the human stories underpinning the monumental work carried out. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.cogconsortium.uk/cog-uk-together-marking-18-months-of-endeavour-and-achievement/ |
| Description | Press releases (various) including RAND Europe evaluation of COG-UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | COG-UK has released many press releases to update and inform. One example is the the release "RAND Europe evaluation of the progress and impact of COG-UK" on 15 February 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| URL | https://www.cogconsortium.uk/rand-europe-evaluation-of-the-progress-and-impact-of-cog-uk/ |
| Description | Press releases (various) including the Women in COG book launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | COG-UK has released many press releases. One example is the book launch "Snapshots of Women in COG: Scientific Excellence During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Book" on 24 Jan 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023 |
| URL | https://www.cogconsortium.uk/snapshots-of-women-in-cog-scientific-excellence-during-the-covid-19-pan... |
| Description | The COG-UK website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The COG-UK website was originally released in April 2020, was refreshed in February 2021 and was updated again in February 2022. It now focuses on the three priority areas of the consortium; Data and Analysis, Research and Training. It also contains information on the consortium and its members and contributors, news and events, blogs, women in COG, studies and publications, and contact details. Analytics from the original website are not available, but will be monitored closely for the refreshed website, allowing engagement to be measured. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| URL | https://www.cogconsortium.uk/ |
| Description | The COG-UK website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The COG-UK website was originally released in April 2020, was refreshed in February 2021 and was updated again in February 2022. It now focuses on the three priority areas of the consortium; Data and Analysis, Research and Training. It also contains information on the consortium and its members and contributors, news and events, blogs, women in COG, studies and publications, and contact details. Analytics from the original website are not available, but will be monitored closely for the refreshed website, allowing engagement to be measured. The COG-UK website will be decommissioned on 31/05/2023. Archive copies of the website are available: https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/*/https://www.cogconsortium.uk/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022,2023 |
| URL | https://www.cogconsortium.uk/ |
| Description | The COG-UK website blog |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The COG-UK website has a blog, currently containing over 60 posts. These are a mixture of reports, explainers, news items and general blog posts, with the aim to educate and inform a wide variety of readers. The blogs have been widely read and shared on social media and improved the level of understanding of COG-UK's work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| URL | https://www.cogconsortium.uk/news/?category=blog |
| Description | The COG-UK website blog |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The COG-UK website has a blog, currently containing over 100 posts. These are a mixture of reports, explainers, news items and general blog posts, with the aim to educate and inform a wide variety of readers. The blogs have been widely read and shared on social media and improved the level of understanding of COG-UK's work. There have been 4 blogs related to Early Career researchers and their COG funded projects in March 2023. Blog activity is continuing until the end of March 2023 to ensure as much value is extracted from the COG-UK activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022,2023 |
| Description | Various TV broadcasts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Various broadcast interviews have been given. For example: 25th February 2021, Horizon https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000slmx/horizon-2021-coronavirus-special-what-we-know-now 3rd February 2021, CBS This Morning https://twitter.com/CBSThisMorning/status/1356941174498549766 3rd February 2021, CNN World https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/02/03/uk-coronavirus-variant-mutation-covid-19-sanger-institute-mclean-pkg-intl-hnk-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/coronavirus-intl/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| Description | Various TV broadcasts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Various broadcast interviews have been given. For example: CBS News Interview 25 June 2021 - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/delta-variant-covid-uk-warning-hope/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| URL | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/delta-variant-covid-uk-warning-hope/ |
| Description | Various national and international talks/keynotes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Since the start of the consortium, but more particularly since December 2020, consortium members have given invited presentations on national and international stages about the work of COG-UK. Examples are given below: World Health Summit (Sharon Peacock) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_hVa84CnHk - October 2021 Cambridge Alumni Festival (Katerina Galai & Sharon Peacock) https://youtu.be/0i9eMB4bS6A - September 2021 Genomics England Innovation Showcase (Kenneth Baillie & Sharon Peacock - https://gelinnovationshowcase21.splashthat.com/ - September 2021 ASHK Coronavirus panel (Ravindra Gupta & Sharon Peacock) - https://www.facebook.com/asiasocietyhongkong/videos/937958673629525/ - April 2021 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| Description | Various national and international talks/keynotes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Since the start of the consortium, but more particularly since December 2020, consortium members have given invited presentations on national and international stages about the work of COG-UK. Examples are given below: World Health Summit (Sharon Peacock) -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_hVa84CnHk - October 2021 Cambridge Alumni Festival (Katerina Galai & Sharon Peacock) - https://youtu.be/0i9eMB4bS6A - September 2021 Genomics England Innovation Showcase (Kenneth Baillie & Sharon Peacock - https://gelinnovationshowcase21.splashthat.com/ - September 2021 ASHK Coronavirus panel (Ravindra Gupta & Sharon Peacock) - https://www.facebook.com/asiasocietyhongkong/video s/937958673629525/ - April 2021 Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture (Sharon Peacock) - https://fbri.vtc.vt.edu/events/maury-strauss-distinguished-public-lectures/2022-01-20-peacock.html - January 2022 RSM In Conversation Live with Sharon Peacock - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wx2IIp7Xpk - September 2022 WADE Lecture 2023 (Sharon Peacock) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcVQoY-B_N0 - February 2023 Lord Speaker's Lecture (Sharon Peacock) - https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/lord-speaker/activity/events/ - March 2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022,2023 |
| Description | Various newspaper and magazine interviews |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Various interviews have been given to newspapers and magazines, for example: Varity Online Interview 29 Oct 2021 - https://www.varsity.co.uk/interviews/22274 Reuters 22 July 2021 - https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/long-path-back-bu siness-usual-uks-coronavirus-genome-expert-says-20 21-07-26/ Inside Precision Medicine Interview 6 Jul 2022 - https://www.insideprecisionmedicine.com/coronavirus-2/genomic-pathogen-surveillance-in-the-spotlight/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| Description | Various newspaper and magazine interviews |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Various interviews have been given to newspapers and magazines, for example: Varity Online Interview 29 Oct 2021 - https://www.varsity.co.uk/interviews/22274 Reuters 22 July 2021 - https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/long-path-back-business-usual-uks-coronavirus-genome-expert-says-2021-07-26/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| Description | Various radio and podcast interviews |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Various podcast and radio interviews have been given, for example: BBC Radio 4 - The Life Scientific - 2 Nov 2021 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0011498 Pager Apple Podcast/Spotify - 2 Nov 2021 - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/covid-19-gen omics-with-sharon-peacock/id1485292393?i=100054063 9032 / https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Dyy6N6zCdDrzdZbd JDujC?si=e8e326821f0348fd&nd=1 BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour - 23 December 2021 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0012q5s Genomics Unravelled: COVID-19 genomics with Prof Sharon Peacock - March 2022 - https://open.spotify.com/episode/0OksMPEOt2olhHsEEopIAf?si=10Kz1Pz7TAaesm-q04EkPA&nd=1 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| Description | Various radio and podcast interviews |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Various podcast and radio interviews have been given, for example: BBC Radio 4 - The Life Scientific 2 Nov 2021 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0011498 Pager Apple Podcast/Spotify 2 Nov 2021 - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/covid-19-genomics-with-sharon-peacock/id1485292393?i=1000540639032 / https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Dyy6N6zCdDrzdZbdJDujC?si=e8e326821f0348fd&nd=1 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |