31.05.2021 – 11:00
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
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Berlin (ots)
BMBF strengthens collaborative research on long Covid symptoms
Any infection with SARS-CoV-2 carries the risk of long-term damage to health. Due to the novelty of the disease, there is currently still a lack of scientifically sound knowledge about these long-term effects. Winning them is the subject of a new funding guideline that the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is launching today. Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek explains:
“We have only known the SARS-CoV-2 virus for over a year. At this point in time, nobody can say who will develop long-term consequences after being infected and why. It is all the more important to gain scientific knowledge about the patients affected to be able to treat them as best as possible and support them in their recovery
Around 3.5 million people in Germany have now survived infection with the virus, but many are still ill. It is estimated that 10 percent of Covid 19 patients still suffer from symptoms weeks or months later – regardless of whether they had a severe or mild course of the disease. Not only are many people in Germany struggling with the long-term consequences of Covid-19. The consequences of the Covid 19 disease will also pose a major challenge for our health system.
That is why it is so important that we specifically support health research in Germany in this area. The new funding guideline is a further essential component in this regard.
In the University Medicine Network, which is funded by the BMBF, the NAPKON cohort project is already dealing with the long-term consequences of Covid-19. But also in many other studies, different actors have started to collect information about Long-Covid and to generate knowledge. These data, some of which are only collected locally, now need to be bundled, evaluated and further developed so that they can be incorporated into the treatment and care of people as quickly as possible.
That is why we now particularly want to support projects that build on and complement existing research work. In addition, the results of the projects will provide information about where further research needs are in connection with Long-Covid. ”
Background:
According to current estimates, around 10 percent of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 experience long-term symptoms that can last for several weeks or months (“long-covid” or “post-covid syndrome”). The most common late symptoms include extreme exhaustion (fatigue), headache, poor concentration, shortness of breath and loss of the sense of smell and taste.
There is so far only insufficient knowledge about these late symptoms; Winning them is the subject of the “Guideline for the Funding of Research Projects on Late Symptoms of Covid-19 (Long-Covid)”, which is endowed with five million euros. In addition to the existing activities, the measure aims to develop, bundle and further develop the available scientific knowledge about the late symptoms of Covid-19 as quickly as possible.
The funding guidelines are primarily aimed at interdisciplinary research networks that already have access to patients, data and samples. Wherever possible, the targeted use of existing data sets and material collections for research questions should be provided. Research projects on outpatient care, rehabilitation and care and the cooperation between specialized Long Covid outpatient clinics and primary care services are of particular importance.
The submission of funding applications is possible until July 14, 2021. The projects can usually be funded for a period of up to two years. Shorter projects with a duration of approx. 12 months are of particular interest. The first projects are expected to start at the end of September 2021.
The University Medicine Network, which has been funded with 150 million euros by the BMBF since April 2020, has already launched important projects to research Covid-19 and the late symptoms of the disease. This is of particular importance here Cohort network NAPKON:
- Ziel des mit rund 30 Millionen Euro geförderten Vorhabens ist der Aufbau einer nationalen Plattform mit drei unterschiedlichen Covid-19 Patientenkohorten. In diesen werden bundesweit systematisch und nach einheitlichen Standards klinische Daten, Bioproben und Bildgebungsdaten von akut erkrankten bzw. genesenen Covid-19- Patientinnen und -Patienten erhoben und in einer gemeinsamen Datenbank zusammenführt. Dadurch kann der Krankheitsverlauf von Covid-19 erfasst und der Zusammenhang mit Komorbiditäten und weiteren gesundheitlichen Parametern sowie den Spätfolgen untersucht werden. Insgesamt sollen in den verschiedenen Kohorten am Ende 36.000 Patientinnen und Patienten eingeschlossen werden.
Additional Information:
www.netzwerk-universitaetsmedizin.de
www.gesundheitsforschung-bmbf.de/de/projekte-zur-erforschung-von-covid-19-11772.php
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Original content from: Federal Ministry of Education and Research, transmitted by news aktuell
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