Phase 1 COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
The magnitude and quality of a person's immune response remains a central determinant of clinical outcome following SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccines now provide an approach for pandemic control. The NCSi programme is designed to co-ordinate and build on UK investments in understanding COVID-19 immunity. These are based around four themes which seek to predict and manage individual risk, protect against acute infection and late effects of infection, prevent primary infection or re-infection, and prepare for future pandemic challenges.
Technical Summary
The magnitude and quality of the immune response remains a central determinant of clinical outcome following SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccines now provide an approach for pandemic control. The National Core Study - Immunity (NCSi) programme in Phase 0 was designed to co-ordinate and build on UK investment in COVID-19 immunity and initiated a number of investments in 2020/21. These were based on four themes which seek to predict and manage individual risk, protect acute infection and late effects, prevent primary or re-infection and prepare for future pandemic challenges.
In Phase 1, these will continue and comprise:
PREDICT:
1. Centre for Cytokine Autoantibodies will interrogate serum sample collections, including those from the NCSi/UKB collaboration, to determine the clinical importance of antibodies against a range of cytokines in order to define clinical risk and develop new therapeutic opportunities.
2. DIRECT: Determining the Immune Response in Ethnic minority healthcare workers to COVID-19 infecTion will determine the importance of ethnicity in relation to immune response to natural infection and post-vaccination.
3. EVITE study of shielding efficacy through evaluation of NHS records, questionnaire responses and blood test results at 12 months after shielding and subgroups such as those with cancer, BAME or living in deprived communities.
4. Asymptomatic COVID19 in Education (ACE) Immunity Study will examine SARS-CoV2 across the (young) population to influence student/school movement policies
PROTECT:
1. NCSi collaboration with UK Biobank will undertake detailed analysis of Covid-specific immune responses and cellular phenotype in a world-leading unique 3000 participant repeat-imaging study.
2. Understand Immune senescence and its impact on natural immunity and vaccine responses in the CAIRO vaccine cohort and associated studies of vaccine response in secondary immune suppression with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia that is seen in older people.
PREVENT:
1. Next Generation Immune Assays will be commissioned to transform the sensitivity, specificity and logistics of serological and cellular assays.
2. Vaccine Responses: The OCTAVE study of immune monitoring after vaccination will be maintained and supported with further investment. Phase 1 investment circa £1.1m, 75% funded by UKRI and 25% funded by the Vaccine Task Force. For more details please see https://www.ukri.org/news/new-study-tests-third-jab-for-people-with-weakened-immune-systems/
2b. OCTAVE ADOLESCENT. Phase 1 investment funded by UKRI in partnership with the Vaccines Task Force circa £330,000
3. Re-infection, vaccine failure and viral Variants of Concern will comprise a portfolio of studies including an open commissioned call to determine mechanisms of inadequate immune protection in (re-) infection after natural or vaccine-induced immunity.
In Phase 1, these will continue and comprise:
PREDICT:
1. Centre for Cytokine Autoantibodies will interrogate serum sample collections, including those from the NCSi/UKB collaboration, to determine the clinical importance of antibodies against a range of cytokines in order to define clinical risk and develop new therapeutic opportunities.
2. DIRECT: Determining the Immune Response in Ethnic minority healthcare workers to COVID-19 infecTion will determine the importance of ethnicity in relation to immune response to natural infection and post-vaccination.
3. EVITE study of shielding efficacy through evaluation of NHS records, questionnaire responses and blood test results at 12 months after shielding and subgroups such as those with cancer, BAME or living in deprived communities.
4. Asymptomatic COVID19 in Education (ACE) Immunity Study will examine SARS-CoV2 across the (young) population to influence student/school movement policies
PROTECT:
1. NCSi collaboration with UK Biobank will undertake detailed analysis of Covid-specific immune responses and cellular phenotype in a world-leading unique 3000 participant repeat-imaging study.
2. Understand Immune senescence and its impact on natural immunity and vaccine responses in the CAIRO vaccine cohort and associated studies of vaccine response in secondary immune suppression with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia that is seen in older people.
PREVENT:
1. Next Generation Immune Assays will be commissioned to transform the sensitivity, specificity and logistics of serological and cellular assays.
2. Vaccine Responses: The OCTAVE study of immune monitoring after vaccination will be maintained and supported with further investment. Phase 1 investment circa £1.1m, 75% funded by UKRI and 25% funded by the Vaccine Task Force. For more details please see https://www.ukri.org/news/new-study-tests-third-jab-for-people-with-weakened-immune-systems/
2b. OCTAVE ADOLESCENT. Phase 1 investment funded by UKRI in partnership with the Vaccines Task Force circa £330,000
3. Re-infection, vaccine failure and viral Variants of Concern will comprise a portfolio of studies including an open commissioned call to determine mechanisms of inadequate immune protection in (re-) infection after natural or vaccine-induced immunity.
Organisations
- University of Birmingham (Lead Research Organisation)
- Public Health Scotland (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE (Collaboration)
- British Society for Immunology (Collaboration)
- QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BELFAST (Collaboration)
- IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD (Collaboration)
- Public Health Agency (PHA) (Collaboration)
- Cardiff University (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW (Collaboration)
- SAIL Databank (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM (Collaboration)
- SWANSEA UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
Publications
Alexander JL
(2022)
COVID-19 vaccine-induced antibody and T-cell responses in immunosuppressed patients with inflammatory bowel disease after the third vaccine dose (VIP): a multicentre, prospective, case-control study.
in The lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology
Alexander JL
(2022)
COVID-19 vaccine-induced antibody responses in immunosuppressed patients with inflammatory bowel disease (VIP): a multicentre, prospective, case-control study.
in The lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology
Amirthalingam G
(2021)
Serological responses and vaccine effectiveness for extended COVID-19 vaccine schedules in England.
in Nature communications
Astbury S
(2022)
HLA-DR polymorphism in SARS-CoV-2 infection and susceptibility to symptomatic COVID-19
in Immunology
Atti A
(2022)
Serological profile of first SARS-CoV-2 reinfection cases detected within the SIREN study.
in The Journal of infection
Atti A
(2022)
Antibody correlates of protection from SARS-CoV-2 reinfection prior to vaccination: A nested case-control within the SIREN study.
in The Journal of infection
Boyton RJ
(2021)
The immunology of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection: what are the key questions?
in Nature reviews. Immunology
British Society For Immunology
(2022)
Patient and public involvement in COVID-19 research: bridging the gap between theory and practice
Captur G
(2022)
Plasma proteomic signature predicts who will get persistent symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
in EBioMedicine
| Title | How is our immunity to COVID-19 shaped by infection and vaccination? |
| Description | We worked with our PPI Panel to produce an infographic to better explain the findings of some NCSi research which examined how our immunity to COVID-19 is shaped by infection and vaccination, in a process known as immune imprinting. This infographic is aimed at a public audience. |
| Type Of Art | Image |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | Better understanding of the research concerned. |
| URL | https://www.covidvaccineresearch.org/public/how-our-immunity-covid-19-shaped-infection-and-vaccinati... |
| Title | • Audio clips with NCSi PPI representatives |
| Description | To support the communication of the PPI report (mentioned in another entry), we developed audio clips with the NCSi PPI representative discussing why embedding PPI in research is important, how we can encourage more researchers to engage with PPI and how we can best involve patients and the public in research. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | These audio clips allow the National Core Studies PPI representatives to communicate directly to explain why PPI matters from a public participants' point of view. They are a great future resource for all researchers who want to learn more about patient and public involvement. They are also being used as part of the learning resources for our training course on PPI for researchers (see separate entry). Three audio clips can be found at: Why involve patients and the public in COVID-19 research? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcwRThFpQX4&t=2s How can we encourage more researchers to involve patients and the public in their research? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF8mDzUamP8&t=4s How can we best involve patients and the public in COVID-19 research? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI8xaX-mn0w&t=2s |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/@ImmunologyOrg/videos |
| Description | Contribution to public health surveillance measures across the UK |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Impact | Study findings from the 'Use of national linked healthcare, serology and viral genomic data to identify and characterise post-second and -booster dose vaccine breakthroughs at a population level' project were presented to JCVI and were then used to inform the UK Government's strategy on second dose booster roll-out. |
| URL | https://www.ed.ac.uk/usher/eave-ii/connected-projects/vaccine-breakthrough-project |
| Description | National Core Studies Immunity impact report |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Description | Professor Moss is a member of the Vaccine Task Force Expert Advisory Group on Vaccine Variants |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Description | Professors Moss (University of Birmingham) and Hussell (University of Manchester) have been invited to join the WHO Technical Advisory Group on immune modulation for novel therapeutics in Covid-19 |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Description | Report - Patient and public involvement in COVID-19 research: bridging the gap between theory and practice |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Impact | Increased awareness of the role of patient and participation involvement in research |
| URL | https://www.covidvaccineresearch.org/sites/default/files/2022-12/NCSI%20PPI%20Report.pdf |
| Description | Training course for researchers on patient and public involvement |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | The course runs next week, so we can't yet provide details from the course evaluation. However, the course is fully booked with 25 participants from across the NCSi research projects. The course has been carefully co-developed with the NCSi PPI representatives and with NCSi researchers experienced in working on PPI to ensure it provides fully rounded training with expertise was all stakeholders involved in this work. The learning objectives from the course for the researchers are as follows: 1. Involve patient and public contributors in bids for funding 2. Reach and work effectively with the people most affected by what you're researching 3. Work with mutual respect and a human mindset 4. Show strong interpersonal and communication skills 5. Coordinate and administer the process of involving contributors effectively |
| Description | Asymptomatic COVID-19 in Education (ACE) Immunity Study |
| Organisation | Cardiff University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study (IMM-NCS) has funded this study |
| Collaborator Contribution | Establishment of a student cohort of 30,000 individuals completing asymptomatic SARS-COV2 screening with around 550 baseline samples collected. We have collected samples (PBMCs, plasma, dried blood spots and saliva) from over 500 individuals to enable us to comprehensively examine immune responses in asymptomatic vs symptomatic individuals. Levels of antibodies in these individuals is currently being determined. Deep phenotyping of SARS-CoV-2 T/NKT cell responses in a subset of stored PBMC samples are also being examined to answer the key question of how immune responses differ in asymptomatic and symptomatic infection. |
| Impact | Plasma samples have been assayed for Wuhan Full length spike/nucleocapsid IgG levels showing no significant differences between asymptomatic infection and symptomatic infection (P=0.4899). Saliva samples have also been analysed for Wuhan Full length spike/nucleocapsid IgA levels. There is no correlation between plasma IgG and salivary IgA levels, although identified some interesting groupings that require further analysis (i.e. IgA positive but self-report no COVID, IgG positive but no IgA, IgG and IgA positive). Some PBMC samples have also been deep phenotyped using Spectral Flow Cytometry, to examine quality and quantity of SARS-CoV2 specific T cells, showing differences between symptomatic/asymptomatic infection. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Asymptomatic COVID-19 in Education (ACE) Immunity Study |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study (IMM-NCS) has funded this study |
| Collaborator Contribution | Establishment of a student cohort of 30,000 individuals completing asymptomatic SARS-COV2 screening with around 550 baseline samples collected. We have collected samples (PBMCs, plasma, dried blood spots and saliva) from over 500 individuals to enable us to comprehensively examine immune responses in asymptomatic vs symptomatic individuals. Levels of antibodies in these individuals is currently being determined. Deep phenotyping of SARS-CoV-2 T/NKT cell responses in a subset of stored PBMC samples are also being examined to answer the key question of how immune responses differ in asymptomatic and symptomatic infection. |
| Impact | Plasma samples have been assayed for Wuhan Full length spike/nucleocapsid IgG levels showing no significant differences between asymptomatic infection and symptomatic infection (P=0.4899). Saliva samples have also been analysed for Wuhan Full length spike/nucleocapsid IgA levels. There is no correlation between plasma IgG and salivary IgA levels, although identified some interesting groupings that require further analysis (i.e. IgA positive but self-report no COVID, IgG positive but no IgA, IgG and IgA positive). Some PBMC samples have also been deep phenotyped using Spectral Flow Cytometry, to examine quality and quantity of SARS-CoV2 specific T cells, showing differences between symptomatic/asymptomatic infection. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Asymptomatic COVID-19 in Education (ACE) Immunity Study |
| Organisation | University of Nottingham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study (IMM-NCS) has funded this study |
| Collaborator Contribution | Establishment of a student cohort of 30,000 individuals completing asymptomatic SARS-COV2 screening with around 550 baseline samples collected. We have collected samples (PBMCs, plasma, dried blood spots and saliva) from over 500 individuals to enable us to comprehensively examine immune responses in asymptomatic vs symptomatic individuals. Levels of antibodies in these individuals is currently being determined. Deep phenotyping of SARS-CoV-2 T/NKT cell responses in a subset of stored PBMC samples are also being examined to answer the key question of how immune responses differ in asymptomatic and symptomatic infection. |
| Impact | Plasma samples have been assayed for Wuhan Full length spike/nucleocapsid IgG levels showing no significant differences between asymptomatic infection and symptomatic infection (P=0.4899). Saliva samples have also been analysed for Wuhan Full length spike/nucleocapsid IgA levels. There is no correlation between plasma IgG and salivary IgA levels, although identified some interesting groupings that require further analysis (i.e. IgA positive but self-report no COVID, IgG positive but no IgA, IgG and IgA positive). Some PBMC samples have also been deep phenotyped using Spectral Flow Cytometry, to examine quality and quantity of SARS-CoV2 specific T cells, showing differences between symptomatic/asymptomatic infection. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | BE-DIRECT_Broadening our understanding of Early versus Late InfluEnza Vaccine Effectiveness - Determining the Immune Response in Ethnic minority healthcare workers to COVID-19 infecTion, (a sub-study of UK-REACH). |
| Organisation | University of Leicester |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | BE-DIRECT has been funded by the NCS Phase 0 award. |
| Collaborator Contribution | BE-DIRECT is investigating the impact of ethnicity on outcome from COVID-19 in UK healthcare workers. The primary objectives are to determine if the immune response to COVID-19 infection and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination differ according to ethnicity in a population of healthcare workers (HCW) and to determine if co-administration of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination has an effect on immune responses to either vaccine. An extensive questionnaire collects information on a broad range of sociodemographic characteristics and SARS-CoV-2 exposure information to address secondary outcome measures pertaining to the effects of demographic characteristics. Participants have consented for linkage to healthcare records (including occupational health record) for a period of 25 years. |
| Impact | BE-DIRECT has exceeded its recruitment target within 3 months. The cohort is unique in its ethnic diversity. - The majority of participants in BE-DIRECT have already been sampled at baseline (approximately 6 months pre-booster), immediately pre-booster and 3 weeks post-booster. - A large dataset has been curated containing data from over 800 participants in total (the combined cohorts of the DIRECT and BELIEVE studies). This currently contains baseline serology and ELISpot results as well as pre-boost and post-boost ELISpot results (for those who consented to participate in BE-DIRECT). |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | British Society for Immunology partnership |
| Organisation | British Society For Immunology |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The British Society for Immunology has worked closely across the whole of National Core Studies Immunity to support on communication and engagement efforts. They have also provided a link for the consortium into their wider work on supporting and championing immunology research in the UK. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The British Society for Immunology have primarily brought the expertise of staff in communications, public engagement, patient and public involvement and policy to work on NCSi and amplify the impact that we've been able to have with public, patient and policy audiences. |
| Impact | UK COVID Vaccine Research Hub website - https://www.covidvaccineresearch.org/ PPI Panel within NCSi General communications, public engagement, media and social media support across the consortium General support on engaging with policymakers Report - Patient and public involvement in COVID-19 research: bridging the gap between theory and practice Upcoming report on impact of NCSi Opportunity to highlight the work of NCSi through British Society for Immunology channels, providing a good route to keep the UK-wide immunology research community up-to-date with NCSi activities Training course for researchers on PPI |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | COVID-19 vaccine responses in follicular lymphoma |
| Organisation | University of Liverpool |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study (IMM-NCS) has funded this study |
| Collaborator Contribution | The PETReA clinical trial provides an ideal context for studying antibody and T-cell responses to COVID-19 vaccines in people with follicular lymphoma (FL) and how such responses are affected by treatments that selectively deplete B cells (rituximab) or T cells (bendamustine), or which have an immunostimulatory effect (lenalidomide). Study participants are asked to provide blood samples at specified timepoints after COVID vaccination. The samples are sent to Liverpool or Oxford for measurement of antibodies and T cells that react to SARS-CoV-2 using the same assays that are used in the PITCH study of COVID vaccine responses in healthy individuals. As we learn more about which parts of the immune system are most important in protecting against COVID-19, the study should help people with FL to make better informed decisions about treatment options, while it should give those patients who have already completed treatment a better idea of how much protection to expect from vaccination and what additional precautions might be required. |
| Impact | mple collection and analysis is ongoing, but the results so far can be summarized as follows: 1. There is wide variation in anti-spike antibody levels, with values significantly lower than in the PITCH study of healthy individuals 2-6 weeks after the first and second jabs (p<0.001) and below the threshold for positivity in a substantial proportion of patients: 4/5 (80%) 2-6 weeks after the first jab (T1); 25/44 (57%) 2-6 weeks after the second jab (T2); and 26/36 (72%) 6 months after the second jab (T3). 2. Measurement of anti-spike T-cell responses by ELISpot is so far available for timepoints T1, T2 and T3 in 2, 34 and 20 patients, respectively. Values for all three timepoints vary widely between patients but are relatively well preserved with only the T3 timepoint showing values significant lower than in healthy individuals (p=0.018). 3. 24/83 (29%) of ELISpot tests had unacceptably high background levels and are being re-run. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration across the NCS network |
| Organisation | Public Health Agency (PHA) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | The GoS/UKRI NCS award has facilitated a wide range of interactions both across the NCS specialist groups, and also within NCS immunology. The investment has supported 15+ groups who work independently but also meet regularly for virtual meetings and share reagents. We have also worked with the PHE/DHHSE team in preparation and delivery of the CONSENSUS study which assesses immunity in relation to the dose interval between first and second dose. |
| Collaborator Contribution | We demonstrated that extended interval BNT162b2 vaccination was associated with increased antibody response in older people. |
| Impact | Joint publications from the CONSENSUS study as shown |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Collaboration with Oxford |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Project 'Use of national linked healthcare, serology and viral genomic data to identify and characterise post-second and -booster dose vaccine breakthroughs at a population level' was funded from the NCSi grant and led by the Univeristy of Edinburgh. The project aimed to undertake a national prospective population-based cohort using routinely collected data across Scotland, with independent replication across the UK Nations' national surveillance datasets. Descriptive analysis was carried out to build a picture of which people have post-vaccine breakthroughs. These results were evaluated in terms of people's immune response after vaccination, using data from serology where available and analysis of how long this protection lasts. Following this, the risk of experiencing vaccine breakthrough for particular groups was calculated. Also, vaccine breakthroughs in terms of viral variant, vaccine type, and number of doses were evaluated. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Oxfird's resources accesses and analysed English data for the 'Use of national linked healthcare, serology and viral genomic data to identify and characterise post-second and -booster dose vaccine breakthroughs at a population level' project. |
| Impact | 1. 'Evaluation of Risk Factors for Postbooster Omicron COVID-19 Deaths in England'. JAMA Netw Open, 2022 Sep 1;5(9):e2233446. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.33446 2. 'Severe COVID-19 outcomes after full vaccination of primary schedule and initial boosters: pooled analysis of national prospective cohort studies of 30 million individuals in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales' Lancet, 2022 15-21 October; 400(10360): 1305-1320. Published online 2022 Oct 14. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01656-7 |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration with PHS |
| Organisation | Public Health Scotland |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Project 'Use of national linked healthcare, serology and viral genomic data to identify and characterise post-second and -booster dose vaccine breakthroughs at a population level' was funded from the NCSi grant and led by the Univeristy of Edinburgh. The project aimed to undertake a national prospective population-based cohort using routinely collected data across Scotland, with independent replication across the UK Nations' national surveillance datasets. Descriptive analysis was carried out to build a picture of which people have post-vaccine breakthroughs. These results were evaluated in terms of people's immune response after vaccination, using data from serology where available and analysis of how long this protection lasts. Following this, the risk of experiencing vaccine breakthrough for particular groups was calculated. Also, vaccine breakthroughs in terms of viral variant, vaccine type, and number of doses were evaluated. |
| Collaborator Contribution | PHS's resourses provided public health input and served as a bridge to colleagues in PHS and PHE for the 'Use of national linked healthcare, serology and viral genomic data to identify and characterise post-second and -booster dose vaccine breakthroughs at a population level' project. |
| Impact | 1. 'Evaluation of Risk Factors for Postbooster Omicron COVID-19 Deaths in England'. JAMA Netw Open, 2022 Sep 1;5(9):e2233446. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.33446 2. 'Severe COVID-19 outcomes after full vaccination of primary schedule and initial boosters: pooled analysis of national prospective cohort studies of 30 million individuals in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales' Lancet, 2022 15-21 October; 400(10360): 1305-1320. Published online 2022 Oct 14. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01656-7 |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration with QUB |
| Organisation | Queen's University Belfast |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Project 'Use of national linked healthcare, serology and viral genomic data to identify and characterise post-second and -booster dose vaccine breakthroughs at a population level' was funded from the NCSi grant and led by the Univeristy of Edinburgh. The project aimed to undertake a national prospective population-based cohort using routinely collected data across Scotland, with independent replication across the UK Nations' national surveillance datasets. Descriptive analysis was carried out to build a picture of which people have post-vaccine breakthroughs. These results were evaluated in terms of people's immune response after vaccination, using data from serology where available and analysis of how long this protection lasts. Following this, the risk of experiencing vaccine breakthrough for particular groups was calculated. Also, vaccine breakthroughs in terms of viral variant, vaccine type, and number of doses were evaluated. |
| Collaborator Contribution | QUB's resources accessed and analysed Norther Ireland data for the 'Use of national linked healthcare, serology and viral genomic data to identify and characterise post-second and -booster dose vaccine breakthroughs at a population level' project. |
| Impact | 1. 'Evaluation of Risk Factors for Postbooster Omicron COVID-19 Deaths in England'. JAMA Netw Open, 2022 Sep 1;5(9):e2233446. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.33446 2. 'Severe COVID-19 outcomes after full vaccination of primary schedule and initial boosters: pooled analysis of national prospective cohort studies of 30 million individuals in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales' Lancet, 2022 15-21 October; 400(10360): 1305-1320. Published online 2022 Oct 14. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01656-7 |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration with SAIL |
| Organisation | SAIL Databank |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | 'A comparison of antibody levels post-vaccination using multiple NCSI datasets - data harmonisation and exemplar analysis' project is funded from the NCSi grant and is led by the University of Edinburgh. The project aims bringing together datasets of experimental results from different groups that were funded by NCSi. These have focussed on different demographic populations, such as health care workers, the elderly or the immune suppressed. Several groups have used a common experimental test whilst some use different assays. As such, some of the work will involve normalisation of these variables. This means we have to translate the test data from many different sources into a 'common data model'. This will allow us to compare many people, being tested in different settings and studies, in the same model. By looking at harmonised data from a larger group of people, we can provide more accurate evidence about the way people's immune systems respond to COVID-19 vaccines. Integration of these results will increase our ability to determine who is at greatest risk and how this might be addressed. |
| Collaborator Contribution | SAIL is the key data platform onto which the relevant datasets for the 'A comparison of antibody levels post-vaccination using multiple NCSI datasets - data harmonisation and exemplar analysis' project have been imported onto. |
| Impact | under way - expected in Spring 2023 |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with Strathclyde |
| Organisation | University of Strathclyde |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Project 'Use of national linked healthcare, serology and viral genomic data to identify and characterise post-second and -booster dose vaccine breakthroughs at a population level' was funded from the NCSi grant and led by the University of Edinburgh. The project aimed to undertake a national prospective population-based cohort using routinely collected data across Scotland, with independent replication across the UK Nations' national surveillance datasets. Descriptive analysis was carried out to build a picture of which people have post-vaccine breakthroughs. These results were evaluated in terms of people's immune response after vaccination, using data from serology where available and analysis of how long this protection lasts. Following this, the risk of experiencing vaccine breakthrough for particular groups was calculated. Also, vaccine breakthroughs in terms of viral variant, vaccine type, and number of doses were evaluated. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Resource from the University of Strathclyde led the statistical analyses for the 'Use of national linked healthcare, serology and viral genomic data to identify and characterise post-second and -booster dose vaccine breakthroughs at a population level' project. |
| Impact | 1. 'Evaluation of Risk Factors for Postbooster Omicron COVID-19 Deaths in England'. JAMA Netw Open, 2022 Sep 1;5(9):e2233446. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.33446 2. 'Severe COVID-19 outcomes after full vaccination of primary schedule and initial boosters: pooled analysis of national prospective cohort studies of 30 million individuals in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales' Lancet, 2022 15-21 October; 400(10360): 1305-1320. Published online 2022 Oct 14. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01656-7 |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Cytokine Autoimmunity: Anti-interferon autoantibodies in COVID-20 |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study (IMM-NCS) has funded work by this group, in addition Professor Ken Smith and Professor Paul Moss have extended their collaboration to include studies of susceptibility to covid severity particularly in elderly patients and also linking this to other viral infections including CMV |
| Collaborator Contribution | This project is a true collaborative effort that will give a detailed overview of anti-cytokine autoimmunity in COVID-19 in a large population group. Covering seven cohorts from across the UK, we have performed anti-cytokine autoantibody screens on nearly 5,500 samples from 2,700 individuals. Our screens cover more cytokine targets and isotypes than previously reported, allowing for a better understanding of the nuances of anti-cytokine autoantibodies in COVID-19, other respiratory infections, and population controls. |
| Impact | In this study, we screened over 5,000 patient samples for anti-cytokine autoantibodies using a Luminex multiplex bead system. Confirming previously reported findings, we find high-titre anti-type I interferon autoantibodies in around 10% of severe COVID-19 patients. Interestingly, an even larger subgroup develop lower levels of these antibodies over the course of disease. We are currently investigating the functional capacity of these autoantibodies in a cellular reporter assay and are integrating these findings with detailed clinical parameters as well as whole blood RNAseq data. This will allow us to investigate the correlation of these antibodies with clinical factors, ethnicity, reinfection rates, and symptoms of long COVID. Expanding our study to other infections, such as the flu, will help us determine whether these antibodies are specific to COVID. A better understanding of how these antibodies impact disease may help us predict the risk of COVID complications, and provide insight into how to prevent or treat them. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Effects of shielding for Vulnerable people during COVID-19 pandemic (EVITE Immunity) |
| Organisation | Swansea University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study (IMM-NCS) has funded this study |
| Collaborator Contribution | Shielding was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic across the UK. It was intended to protect those thought to be at highest risk of serious harm should they catch COVID-19 because of preconditions such as cancer or medications that they were taking. EVITE Immunity will involve work with NHS partners to evaluate shielding in Wales, where records for people who were shielding have already been anonymously linked into other integrated data systems. We will identify records of patients who mirror those who were shielding and use the routinely available data to compare outcomes between both groups. |
| Impact | The results of the data analysis carried out in Phase 1 of the EVITE Immunity study have shown that the implementation of the shielding policy in Wales did not result in a significant reduction in COVID-19 infections in the shielded population that had been hoped for. We will continue to analyse the data, and the work undertaken in Phase 2 will help to understand the effects of the shielding policy. Phase 2 of the study is now underway. Research permissions have now been granted. The ethics committee has approved the interview materials and participant questionnaire. Work has been undertaken to construct a cohort of people that matches the population asked to shield on age group, gender, and recent healthcare use (summarised by outpatient attendances, and length of stays in hospital) characteristics. Digital Health and Care Wales have created a sample of individuals matching these characteristics, the data for this group will be passed to SAIL. A subsample of this group will be passed to NHS Shared Services. We have worked with colleagues at Digital Health and Care Wales and NHS Shared Services to identify a mechanism to distribute the participant's questionnaires. Questionnaires will be posted to individuals to gather data on their experiences during the first wave of the COVID 19 pandemic. Returned questionnaires will be anonymously linked to their patient data within the SAIL databank. The questionnaires are ready for distribution by post. However, we are experiencing some delays to distribution as several key staff in the NHS Shared Services have been absent from work due to COVID 19. Several papers are currently being drafted for publication in the new year. The protocol has been submitted for publication to the BMJ Open. The project has had some slippage due to the delayed confirmation of the funding for Phase 2 and now risks not meeting the milestones set out in the proposal (manuscript ID: bmjopen-2021-059813). |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | OCTAVE DUO |
| Organisation | Imperial College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study (IMM-NCS) has funded this study |
| Collaborator Contribution | Work from OCTAVE identified that many patients with immune suppression mounted either suboptimal or absent antibody response following dual COVID vaccination. This was particularly true for patients on immune suppression after allogeneic transplantation or patients with blood cancer. As such this indentifed a need for 'booster' vaccines in several patient subgroups. Following discussion between OCTAVE and the Deputy CMO, the OCTAVE-DUO clinical trial was initiated: a Phase III, multi-centre, multi-disease, open-label, randomised CTIMP to determine whether a 3rd dose of vaccine can induce an immune response in clinically vulnerable patients with proven inadequate response to 2 doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. |
| Impact | OCTAVE-DUO has successful recruited (~791 patients) across multiple diseases and multiple centres in the UK. Recruitment to 7 of the 9 disease sites has now stopped and most samples have been processed for initial serological and cellular characterization of the immunological response to vaccination. Interim analysis of the first 186 patients revealed that the 3rd dose was able to enhance a low antibody response to a level that was equivalent to healthy controls after 2 vaccine doses. However, the majority of patients who had no antibody responses after 2 doses, continued to have no antibody response after the 3rd dose. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | OCTAVE DUO |
| Organisation | University of Glasgow |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study (IMM-NCS) has funded this study |
| Collaborator Contribution | Work from OCTAVE identified that many patients with immune suppression mounted either suboptimal or absent antibody response following dual COVID vaccination. This was particularly true for patients on immune suppression after allogeneic transplantation or patients with blood cancer. As such this indentifed a need for 'booster' vaccines in several patient subgroups. Following discussion between OCTAVE and the Deputy CMO, the OCTAVE-DUO clinical trial was initiated: a Phase III, multi-centre, multi-disease, open-label, randomised CTIMP to determine whether a 3rd dose of vaccine can induce an immune response in clinically vulnerable patients with proven inadequate response to 2 doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. |
| Impact | OCTAVE-DUO has successful recruited (~791 patients) across multiple diseases and multiple centres in the UK. Recruitment to 7 of the 9 disease sites has now stopped and most samples have been processed for initial serological and cellular characterization of the immunological response to vaccination. Interim analysis of the first 186 patients revealed that the 3rd dose was able to enhance a low antibody response to a level that was equivalent to healthy controls after 2 vaccine doses. However, the majority of patients who had no antibody responses after 2 doses, continued to have no antibody response after the 3rd dose. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | OCTAVE DUO |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study (IMM-NCS) has funded this study |
| Collaborator Contribution | Work from OCTAVE identified that many patients with immune suppression mounted either suboptimal or absent antibody response following dual COVID vaccination. This was particularly true for patients on immune suppression after allogeneic transplantation or patients with blood cancer. As such this indentifed a need for 'booster' vaccines in several patient subgroups. Following discussion between OCTAVE and the Deputy CMO, the OCTAVE-DUO clinical trial was initiated: a Phase III, multi-centre, multi-disease, open-label, randomised CTIMP to determine whether a 3rd dose of vaccine can induce an immune response in clinically vulnerable patients with proven inadequate response to 2 doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. |
| Impact | OCTAVE-DUO has successful recruited (~791 patients) across multiple diseases and multiple centres in the UK. Recruitment to 7 of the 9 disease sites has now stopped and most samples have been processed for initial serological and cellular characterization of the immunological response to vaccination. Interim analysis of the first 186 patients revealed that the 3rd dose was able to enhance a low antibody response to a level that was equivalent to healthy controls after 2 vaccine doses. However, the majority of patients who had no antibody responses after 2 doses, continued to have no antibody response after the 3rd dose. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | OCTAVE UK-Vaccine Immune Protection. |
| Organisation | Imperial College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study (IMM-NCS) has funded this study |
| Collaborator Contribution | The OCTAVE study is a multi-centre, multi-disease, prospective observational cohort analysis of the effectiveness of SARS-CoV2 vaccination in clinically vulnerable groups across the UK. Disease phenotypes recruited include end-stage renal disease, hepatic disease, cancer (solid and haematologic), immune-mediated inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis psoriatic arthritis, ANCA-associated vasculitis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and solid organ and blood transplant recipients. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate immunity (serological and cellular) arising from receipt of the AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine or Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine. |
| Impact | It is too early for us to report formal insights, however, formal analysis is on-going and will report in January 2022. The most important initial observation from our informal analysis is that there are a proportion of patients in our cohort that do not mount a detectable serological response. These groups have been identified and enrolled in the OCTAVE-DUO follow-on study that is aimed at evaluating the capacity of a 3rd vaccine dose to drive and enhance serological response. Cellular responses will also be characterised in that setting. Combined these studies are already having an immediate impact at a policy level; identifying at risk groups with minimal vaccine responsiveness and supporting the roll out of 3rd doses to at risk individuals. We also anticipate that further findings in this study will inform policy around alternative therapies (e.g. monoclonal antibodies & anti-virals) for those at the greatest risk of COVID-19-related hospitalisation or mortality. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | OCTAVE UK-Vaccine Immune Protection. |
| Organisation | University of Glasgow |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study (IMM-NCS) has funded this study |
| Collaborator Contribution | The OCTAVE study is a multi-centre, multi-disease, prospective observational cohort analysis of the effectiveness of SARS-CoV2 vaccination in clinically vulnerable groups across the UK. Disease phenotypes recruited include end-stage renal disease, hepatic disease, cancer (solid and haematologic), immune-mediated inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis psoriatic arthritis, ANCA-associated vasculitis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and solid organ and blood transplant recipients. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate immunity (serological and cellular) arising from receipt of the AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine or Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine. |
| Impact | It is too early for us to report formal insights, however, formal analysis is on-going and will report in January 2022. The most important initial observation from our informal analysis is that there are a proportion of patients in our cohort that do not mount a detectable serological response. These groups have been identified and enrolled in the OCTAVE-DUO follow-on study that is aimed at evaluating the capacity of a 3rd vaccine dose to drive and enhance serological response. Cellular responses will also be characterised in that setting. Combined these studies are already having an immediate impact at a policy level; identifying at risk groups with minimal vaccine responsiveness and supporting the roll out of 3rd doses to at risk individuals. We also anticipate that further findings in this study will inform policy around alternative therapies (e.g. monoclonal antibodies & anti-virals) for those at the greatest risk of COVID-19-related hospitalisation or mortality. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | OCTAVE UK-Vaccine Immune Protection. |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study (IMM-NCS) has funded this study |
| Collaborator Contribution | The OCTAVE study is a multi-centre, multi-disease, prospective observational cohort analysis of the effectiveness of SARS-CoV2 vaccination in clinically vulnerable groups across the UK. Disease phenotypes recruited include end-stage renal disease, hepatic disease, cancer (solid and haematologic), immune-mediated inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis psoriatic arthritis, ANCA-associated vasculitis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and solid organ and blood transplant recipients. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate immunity (serological and cellular) arising from receipt of the AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine or Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine. |
| Impact | It is too early for us to report formal insights, however, formal analysis is on-going and will report in January 2022. The most important initial observation from our informal analysis is that there are a proportion of patients in our cohort that do not mount a detectable serological response. These groups have been identified and enrolled in the OCTAVE-DUO follow-on study that is aimed at evaluating the capacity of a 3rd vaccine dose to drive and enhance serological response. Cellular responses will also be characterised in that setting. Combined these studies are already having an immediate impact at a policy level; identifying at risk groups with minimal vaccine responsiveness and supporting the roll out of 3rd doses to at risk individuals. We also anticipate that further findings in this study will inform policy around alternative therapies (e.g. monoclonal antibodies & anti-virals) for those at the greatest risk of COVID-19-related hospitalisation or mortality. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SAIL Databank |
| Organisation | SAIL Databank |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | BREATHE facilitates the depositing of data into the SAIL Databank to be stored in a safe trusted environment. The BREATHE Hub will encourage partners, collaborations and customers to make use of the data solutions within BREATHE and will drive the use of the respiratory data assets held. |
| Collaborator Contribution | SAIL Databank provides a technology platform to store the data, link datasets together and allow users secure access to different views of the data. This is administered by the SAIL Databank / Secure Research Platform (SeRP) teams at Swansea University. They provide an information governance and data security model which sets out the rules under which data within the platform is held and made available to researchers. The established SAIL Databank independent Information Governance Review Panel reviews all applications to use data. They contribute their well established contractual / operational model which governs the day to day administration of the platform. And finally, data linkage services for health records for linked data projects. SAIL Databank's relationship with NHS bodies who regularly share data for research across the UK means that studies interested in accessing anonymised NHS data for research, or linking their own data to such records, can do so with the support of SAIL |
| Impact | See publications section for full list. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Use of national linked healthcare, serology and viral genomic data to identify and characterise post-third and -booster dose vaccine breakthroughs at a population level |
| Organisation | University of Birmingham |
| Department | School of Immunity and Infection |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Our primary aim is to investigate COVID infection breakthrough after third and booster vaccination and the potential influence of viral variants. This includes post-vaccine re-infection with prior history of COVID-19 illness. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The University of Birmingham (UoB) has been awarded up to £6,674,199 on behalf of UKRI, funded as part of the COVID-19 National Core Studies (NCS), for "Phase 1 COVID-19 Immunity - National Core Study (Phase 1 IMM-NCS)" to coordinate research programmes and infrastructure to ensure key questions on immunity are being answered from basic understanding of the immune response, through duration and nature of natural infection and vaccine induced immunity in clinically at risk and general populations. By working collaboratively we draw fresh insights and increase our collective understanding of how to accelerate control of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Impact | This work is at an early stage, having only began in December 2021. Our objectives are to: 1) Estimate the frequency of post-vaccine breakthroughs from linked electronic health records and viral genomic data in Scotland in near real-time. 2) Characterise the demographic, ethnic, socio-economic, immunological and clinical features of post-vaccine breakthroughs. 3) Investigate how these risks vary by vaccine dose, vaccine type, and viral variants. 4) Develop and internally validate a prediction model to assess predictors for post-vaccine breakthroughs. 5) Analyse viral variants, mutations and lineages in post-vaccine breakthroughs, and compare these to viruses in the general population over the same time interval. 6) Replicate the above findings using research-ready national linked surveillance datasets across the other UK nations. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Engagement with Public Patient Involvement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | We have developed a national PPI group that advises and assesses NCS activity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | How effective are COVID vaccines in people with weakened immune systems? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | The British Society for Immunology held a free public webinar on 'COVID-19 vaccines: how effective are they in people with weakened immune systems?' on Wednesday 15 September. Approximately half a million people in the UK have immune systems that function sub-optimally, either due to a medical condition or due to medication they take. How well do vaccines work for these people in protecting them from catching COVID-19? Join this panel of experts to hear about the cutting-edge research to understand the immune response after COVID-19 vaccination in people who are immunosuppressed and how this can be managed. What can we do in future to protect this group of people from COVID-19? What is the patient perspective and how can lived experience be meaningfully involved in immunology research? There will also be a chance to ask the panel your questions about COVID-19 immunology and vaccines. This webinar was aimed at a public audience. Panel Sir Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome Lynn Laidlaw, Patient and Public Involvement Contributor from UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium Professor Paul Moss, University of Birmingham, Principal Investigator of UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium Dr Michelle Willicombe, Imperial College London Chair Dr Doug Brown, British Society for Immunology |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://pscsupport.org.uk/how-effective-is-the-covid-vaccine-for-people-with-weakened-immune-systems... |
| Description | Immunisations and living with the challenges of a compromised immune system with CLL webinar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | In this webinar we were joined by Professor Moss - Professor of Haematology at the University of Birmingham, Gillian Marshall - Clinical Nurse Specialist for CLL, Nick York - Patient Advocacy Healthcare Liaison Officer and CLL patient as well as our host Charlotte - Patient Advocacy Manager. The following topics were discussed; why patients with CLL are immunosuppressed, infection management in CLL and vaccine efficacy in immunosuppressed patients. The panellists also answered questions from the audience which covered vaccine protection in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADPv3ZXMyVY |
| Description | PPI 'fireside chat' during NCSi workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | During the National Core Studies Immunity Workshop, we held a PPI 'fireside chat' where two of our PPI representatives joined to share their views, insights and feedback with the 40 NCSi researchers present on NCSi progress so that the resulting research could more effectively meet the needs of the widest possible range of people. The session had a significant impact on discussions for the rest of the workshop which focused on planning the next steps for NCSi research and engagement. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.covidvaccineresearch.org/news/panel-patients-and-public-share-personal-perspectives-covi... |
| Description | Patient and public involvement with the EAVE II project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | This project has Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) embedded alongside the research. We have established our own Public Advisory Group (PAG) and are working closely with other groups to ensure diversity of input. The intention of PPI is to ensure the research design and outputs are as transparent, understandable and beneficial to patients as possible. Two representatives from the group sit on relevant project Steering Groups and contribute to key project decision making. Group members have contributed to discussions about research priorities and helped to develop new research proposals. Group members have helped us to write lay summaries and fed back to us on infographics developed to communicate our results. Two members of our group - one adult and one teenager - were interviewed by The Lancet Respiratory Medicine about how they have coped with living with asthma during the pandemic. See: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(22)00013-3 and https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(22)00014-5 in publications. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| URL | https://www.ed.ac.uk/usher/eave-ii/about-eave-ii/meet-the-team/eave-ii-public-advisory-group |
| Description | Plenary Lecture at British Society of Immunology 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At the end of last year, over 1,600 immunologists came together in Edinburgh and online for our flagship event, BSI Congress 2021. It was an amazing four days of immunology, packed with cutting-edge science, inspiring debates and those much-missed opportunities to connect and start new collaborations with a plenary session including talks by. Paul Moss from the UK-CIC |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.immunology.org/sites/default/files/2022-06/BSI_Immunology_News_March_2022_web.pdf |
| Description | Poster presentation on PPI with NCSi |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We worked with the NCSi PPI Panel to co-author a poster presentation at the British Society for Immunology Congress 2022 discussing how patient and public involvement have been successfully embedded within the research programme and the impact it has had on the work of the consortium Aquino, E, Evans, J, Edmunds, A, Jasper, R. Involving patient and public contributors in COVID-19 vaccine research: experiences from National Core Studies Immunity |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation on Health Data at a Research Insights event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Research Insights series are free online public events exploring the science and research taking place in our College. Prof Sheikh and Dr Vasileiou presented about health data, how it is kept safe and secure, and how information about people's health helps to inform public health policy decisions. They explained how health data helped scientists to figure out how the effectiveness of the first doses of Covid-19 vaccine, and how health data are being used to track the Covid-19 pandemic. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation to the NCSi PPI panel |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | Presented research and impact from the 'Use of national linked healthcare, serology and viral genomic data to identify and characterise post-second and -booster dose vaccine breakthroughs at a population level' project. We have a range of materials available online showcasing the work achieved during this project. This includes: • A full summary of our research publication written in plain English for both public and academic audiences, which was written in consultation with our PPI representatives (https://edin.ac/3ERnUZR) • An infographic highlighting the key findings from the paper • A short series of soundbites (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI0JUzScYjIZdhJfpjQdwxHaxSXRkbRH-) featuring: (1) First Author Utkarsh Agrawal summarising the key points of the paper; (2) PPI representative Debs Smith explaining why vaccine breakthroughs research is still pertinent and relevant to many members of the public; (3) PPI representative Lynn Laidlaw asks with PI Aziz Sheikh the real-world impact of this research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.ed.ac.uk/usher/eave-ii/connected-projects/vaccine-breakthrough-project |
| Description | Presentations to government bodies, including GO-Science, JCVI, MHRA, National Core Studies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of data summarising safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| Description | Showcase event for the Digital Innovation Hub Programme |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This free, one-day event led by HDR UK showcased the latest developments in technology, infrastructure and standards that are supporting trustworthy research with health data. The event connected colleagues working in the data field across healthcare, academia, charities, industry and patient groups, by showcasing the impacts of the Digital Innovation Hubs Programme. The showcase included the nine Health Data Research Hubs, the Health Data Research Innovation Gateway and the UK Health Data Research Alliance. Key themes included the importance of earning and maintaining public trust, the impacts of the Health Data Research Hubs, improvements in data discovery and opportunities to streamline access, and the benefits of collaboration and partnership. The £400K capital funding from MRC was leveraged as a direct result of the BREATHE presentation at this event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.hdruk.ac.uk/news-opinion-events/events/building-a-legacy-for-uk-health-data-research-inf... |
| Description | The Bridget Ogilvie Lecture 2022 University of Dundee |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Bridget Ogilvie Lecture is named after Dame Bridget Ogilvie who was Director of the Wellcome Trust 1991 - 1998 and who played an important role in the development of the College of Life Sciences, in particular in the special award of £10 million that lead to the building of the Wellcome Trust Building in 1997. Each Wellcome funded Division in SLS takes turns in nominating the Bridget Ogilvie Lecturer and this year is the turn of CSI. Professor Paul Moss was the invited speaker for this lecture |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.dundee.ac.uk/events/t-cell-immunity-and-protection-against-sars-cov-2 |
| Description | UK COVID Vaccine Research Hub 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 | In November 2021, we launched a website the UK COVID Vaccine Research Hub, designed to keep researchers, policymakers and the public with up-to-date, evidence based information in order to promote awareness and support for the work being undertaken by UK COVID vaccine research teams, and to help researchers find the funding, collaborations and ideas they need to help them to tackle key questions. The website has achieved a significant following and contains comprehensive information all current studies and publications alongside a regular updated news section, accessible to the general public. The website also features a library of useful resources for the public, policymakers and researchers on COVID vaccines. We have also built a Twitter following which has been a successful route for further publicising the website. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023 |
| URL | https://www.covidvaccineresearch.org/ |
| Description | Webinar for public on NCSi research |
| 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 | We ran a free webinar for the public on 'COVID-19 vaccines, boosters and immunity' to communicate the latest findings from NCSi around COVID-19 vaccines. This webinar was run jointly with the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium. Speakers includes Professor Paul Moss (NCSi PI) and Professor Rosemary Boyton (NCSi researcher) with the session co-chaired by Tony Kelly (NCSi PPI representative). Over 500 people registered to attend with approx. 300 viewers on the night and over 100 questions submitted by the audience. The recording of the file is now available on YouTube and has been viewed 445 times at time of writing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUKbvZVRCqc |