SARS-CoV-2 RNA diversity in patients with long term infections
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Establishing viral diversity in patients with long term detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in respiratory samples.
IRAS ID
313189
Contact name
Mark Zuckerman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
313189,
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020; during this time multiple variants with different severity outcomes have appeared. Some of these variants are thought to have emerged from immunocompromised individuals. Respiratory specimens can remain PCR (the gold-standard diagnostics of COVID-19) positive (PCR+) for long periods of time, especially in immunocompromised patients. We know little about the viral mutations that may arise over time in these patients. The aim of this project is to determine virus diversity in immunocompromised individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infections (COVID-19). Immunocompromised individuals are those whose defences against infections, known as immune responses, are not working properly due to a disease or treatment. Changes in the virus can lead to the emergence of new variants, and that means that the potential treatment or prevention may not work. This will reveal how immunocompromised individuals respond to the infection, potential reasons why these individuals cannot clear infections and serve as surveillance for the emergence of potential variants of concern that may spread in the community.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SC/0008
Date of REC Opinion
16 Jan 2024
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion