by Bill Snyder
The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) has been awarded a major federal grant to lead a national trial of treatments targeting the Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System (RAAS) in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Comprised of the hormones renin, angiotensin and aldosterone, RAAS is essential for the regulation of blood pressure and fluid balance. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can disrupt this system, resulting in life-threatening complications, including pulmonary edema, thromboembolic complications and severe cardiac injury.
Sean Collins, MD, MSc, professor of Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who has deep expertise in emergency care and RAAS, will lead the trial, which will test whether drugs targeting RAAS can prevent the vascular, fibrotic and inflammatory consequences of severe COVID-19 disease.
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Midlands is delivering nearly £100m of COVID research to support nation’s fight against COVID-19
A new report – Mobilising Research Excellence in the Midlands to Tackle COVID-19 – published today (Friday, January 15 2021) reveals that the Midlands has moved swiftly to apply its wealth of capability in its hospitals, businesses and universities, including the University of Warwick, to deliver £90m of research to support regional, national and global efforts to tackle the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The report highlights that:
Experts in the Midlands are leading 81 new COVID-19 research programmes.
The region is playing a crucial and integral role in the world-leading genome sequencing consortium which is identifying the strains of COVID-19 recently in the UK and internationally.