Author: researchluxembourgEI

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Covid-19 taskforce

Testing asymptomatic individuals to assess COVID-19 spread in Luxembourg

The Research Luxembourg COVID-19 task force announces the launch of “CON-VINCE ”, a study that aims to evaluate the dynamics of the spread of the COVID-19 disease within the Luxembourgish population.
The project is one of the several initiatives put in place under the aegis of the task force to help contain the current pandemic. It will test about 1,500 people for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and follow-up only the asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic individuals. This will generate accurate data on the transmission of the disease, ultimately assisting policy-makers in taking evidence-based decisions over the course of the coming weeks.

Asymptomatic individuals – often referred to as “silent carriers” – and mildly symptomatic carriers play a significant role in the spread of the virus. However, they currently remain largely unassessed, since diagnostic testing is performed predominantly on people with clear COVID-19 symptoms. In order to put in place effective measures to stave off the COVID-19 infection, it is crucial to systematically test a representative sample of the population in order to identify all individuals carrying the SARS-CoV-2 virus, regardless of their symptoms.

In this context, “CON-VINCE” has been launched today with the aim of testing a panel of approximately 1,500 participants over the age of 18 and detecting the three main groups of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic people. Specifically, these include:
  • individuals who are “virus-free” and therefore asymptomatic;
  • people who are currently infected but present mild or no symptoms;
  • and those who were infected but are at present free of the virus.

Panel participants will be recruited by TNS Ilres and tested for SARS-CoV-2 through a specific molecular biology technique[1]. The analyses will initially be carried out on collected nasal and pharyngeal swabs, and subsequently extended to blood and other sample types. Participants testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 but displaying mild or no symptoms will be followed up over one year, together with virus-free individuals. Conversely, symptomatic patients will be excluded from the study and undergo regular treatment instead.

“To the best of our knowledge, asymptomatic carriers are not systematically monitored in any of the countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, at present, no comprehensive data on the epidemiology and dynamics of the disease exist. CON-VINCE aims to fill this gap by providing reliable information on the nature, prevalence and transmission modality of COVID-19 in the Grand Duchy, therefore guiding national and international decision-makers in mounting an effective public health, political and economic response to the pandemic”, explains Prof Rejko Krüger, Director of Transversal Translational Medicine at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH)[2] and coordinator of the “CON-VINCE” study.  

“In parallel, the project will also allow us to track the psychological and socio-economic impact of long-term containment measures on the general population and help us define clearer timeframes for lifting the current stringent confinement strategies”, concludes Prof Ulf Nehrbass, Chief Executive Officer at LIH and spokesperson of the Research Luxembourg COVID-19 task force.

“The CON-VINCE study represents the logical next step of the extensive testing of our population to better prevent the spread of the virus. We continue to put huge efforts to gather the best information in order to get ahead of the virus”, adds Minister of Health Paulette Lenert.

The “CON-VINCE” study is led by a consortium of Luxembourgish research institutions, including LIH and the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg. The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) is co-funding the study with an amount of 1.4 million Euro. The market research company TNS-ILRES, Ketterthill, Laboratoires Réunis and BioneXt Lab are associated partners in this study.

“Thanks to the task force that was launched two weeks ago, the public research institutions in Luxembourg have joined forces in the fight against COVID-19 and can provide valuable support and knowledge to help us make data-based decisions. The CON-VINCE study will be one of the key elements for an empirical basis in the handling of the current crisis.”

Claude Meisch, Minister of Higher Education and Research.

Communicated by Ministry of Health, Ministry of Higher Education and Research, Research Luxembourg

Press contact: Didier Goossens, didier.goossens@fnr.lu

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE CON-VINCE STUDY

[1] To be noted that the diagnostic approach of the study is for research purposes only, and does not replace nor take resources from  regular care-based diagnostics. Participants testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 will undergo a confirmatory regular care-based diagnostic test in accredited laboratories. 

[2] Prof Krüger’s additional affiliations are as follows: FNR PEARL Chair and Head; Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg; Coordinator National Center for Excellence in Research – Parkinson’s disease (NCER-PD), Parkinson Research Clinic, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg.

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Covid-19 taskforce

COVID-19: Launch of FNR fast-track Call

In the framework of the Research Luxembourg COVID-19 task force activities, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) has launched a special fast-track Call to provide initial funding for research projects on COVID-19, with a first deadline of Tuesday, 14 April 2020. The aim is to (co-)support short-term projects, or the starting phase of long-term projects. In order to be eligible for the FNR Call, short descriptions of project ideas must first be published on the lux-covid-19.lu platform by 8 April.

“The global COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed our society, and has impacted humanity on individual, economic, and social levels. The Luxembourg research community has quickly sprung to action in light of the pandemic: Luxembourgish scientists have the experience and ability to contribute to the world-wide efforts to fight this virus.

The FNR wishes to support researchers so that they can make an impact, both in Luxembourg and on a global scale. To this end, we have launched this fast fast-track call to support both short-term projects and starting phases of long-term projects that will address the current and future challenges of COVID-19.”

 – Marc Schiltz, FNR Secretary General

Through this Call, the FNR will provide funding of up to 50,000 EUR for a maximum period of 6 months. The first COVID-19 call submission deadline will be on 14 April 2020, 18:00 CET. For proposals that require a longer preparation time, e.g. to merge similar project ideas or to coordinate multidisciplinary teams, a second submission deadline will be on 11 May 2020, 18:00 CET.

Visit the FNR COVID-19 programme page and download the guidelines

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Covid-19 taskforce

COVID-19: Launch of national platform, FNR Call in the making

As researchers work on numerous new projects to contribute to the fight against COVID-19, Research Luxembourg has launched a national COVID-19 platform to coordinate research projects and collaborations. The FNR will soon open a special fast-track Call for proposals to support research efforts.

The Luxembourg research community has reacted rapidly to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating also a need for coordination and collaboration. Research Luxembourg (University, LIH, LISER, LIST, FNR, Ministry of Higher Education and Research) has therefore launched a national COVID-19 platform. This website will support the research community, facilitate exchange and the identification of synergies.

https://lux-covid19.lu/

On top of giving a good overview of COVID-19 research in Luxembourg, this centralised platform aims at fostering collaboration and communication.

The different parts of the platform allow researchers to:

  • Submit project ideas
  • Browse ongoing projects
  • Browse submitted open ideas
  • Share and discuss new ideas (under construction)

FNR funding

The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) will shortly announce a special fast-track Call to provide initial funding for research projects on COVID-19, with a deadline of 9 April. The aim is to (co-)support short-term projects, or the starting phase of long-term projects. In order to be eligible for the FNR Call, short descriptions of project ideas must first be published on the COVID-19 platform.

Categories
Covid-19 taskforce

COVID-19: Research Luxembourg is mobilising

Research Luxembourg, a joint initiative of the main players in Luxembourg’s public research sector, is mobilising its knowledge and its human and material resources to help address the challenge of COVID-19. A task force has been set up in order to offer the health system the combined expertise available within the Luxembourg public research sector (LIH, LISER, LIST, LNS, University, FNR, under the coordination of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research).
The missions of this working group are:
  • Coordinate the provision of support from the national research community to healthcare providers and the government in order to contain the current COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Help identify and centralise a variety of priority activities, leveraging on the cross-sectoral expertise in molecular biology, epidemiology, clinical trials and fundamental research
  • Be the point of contact between the national research ecosystem, the clinical community and the authorities
The task force will focus on three pillars:

– a prevalence study to assess the extent of the spread of the virus and the number of asymptomatic individuals;

– a stratification study in which researchers attempt to identify risk factors that contribute negatively to disease progression;

– statistical simulations on the evolution, impact and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide short- and medium-term projections and thus facilitate decision-making on when restrictions could be lifted.

Concrete actions have already been put in place. Research institutions have provided the health sector with equipment and specialised personnel. In this context, it is worthwhile mentioning the important mobilisation of doctors in training in the framework of the “formation spécifique en médecine générale”. Indeed, many of these future general practitioners have volunteered to support hospital staff in the four hospital establishments in Luxembourg.

To enable this initiative, the government, with the support of the University of Luxembourg and the doctors involved in this training, has adjusted the relevant regulatory framework and adopted the necessary measures to enable the deployment of these volunteers in the coming days. Likewise, nurses working in research as well as students in medicine are also being trained to support hospital staff.

Due to the international pressure exerted by governments and research funding agencies, almost all scientific data and publications on COVID-19 are freely accessible in digital form (machine readable). This data is a very valuable resource, easily amenable to text and data mining using artificial intelligence techniques. This is an area in which Luxembourg has strong expertise.

To accelerate these efforts and to stimulate new ideas and new collaborations between researchers, additional funding will be provided by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR). Given the urgency of the situation, quick funding decisions will be ensured.