Scientists from three universities in Cyprus join forces for a new research study, which will test the presence of anti-coronavirus antibodies in three population groups in Cyprus and shed light on a number of unanswered questions about the disease Covid-19. Specifically, volunteers who were positively diagnosed with coronavirus, health professionals from the General Hospital of Nicosia, Makareio and the General Hospital of Paphos and people from the general population, as well as donors for further research funding are required.
The research is a collaboration between the Center of Excellence and Biomedical Research of the University of Cyprus, the Medical Schools of the Universities of Cyprus and the University of Nicosia and the Department of Health Sciences of the Faculty of Sciences of the European University of Cyprus.
As stated in a press conference, the Director of the Center of Excellence for Biobank and Biomedical Research and Professor of Medicine and Molecular Genetics at the Medical School of the University of Cyprus Dr. Konstantinos Deltas, the study "aims to test for the presence of antibodies against Coronavirus SAR which we know is responsible for COVID-19 in three population groups in Cyprus ".
In the first phase, he explained, volunteers who were positively diagnosed with coronavirus, health professionals from the General Hospital of Nicosia, Makareio Hospital and the General Hospital of Paphos and people from the general population will be invited to participate in the study, to give samples of biological material. ». The participation of people from the general population will be done after random sampling through telephone calls in order to achieve good geographical coverage, he added.
He also informed that the test for antibodies will be free.
The project, Professor Delta continued, also aims to archive DNA data and genetic material to be used for genetic studies, "in order to identify factors that may increase the risk of serious symptoms or protect the individual from developing a serious clinical picture or the answer to any other useful questions ". The material that will be submitted will be available to other researchers who are interested in using the material for a good common purpose, he said.
"Our team believes that the pandemic is still unpredictable how long it will last and how many lives it will threaten worldwide, but as scientists we must do what we can with the tools at our disposal to better prepare the health system and the "Cypriot population to manage it," he said.
To participate in the research study, volunteers are invited to contact the Center for Excellence Biobank and Biomedical Research of the University of Cyprus at 22892315 or through the website https://biobank.cy/
Answering a question, he stated that "we are interested to know among those who came out positive if they have made antibodies". The question will be answered whether those who were more recent positive have a higher percentage of antibodies and how much. "We want to know if there are health professionals who made antibodies and did not understand," he said. The same question applies to the general population. Did he ask, "Some of us have made antibodies"?
Asked about the time it will take for there to be results, Professor Delta answered that "if the people respond immediately, especially the positive ones to the coronavirus, we hope that within the next six months we will have useful results for our epidemiologists to use".
When asked about the participation process, he answered that it is simple and that blood and urine samples will be taken. The essence, he noted, "will be the recording of a detailed medical history."
Regarding the number of participants, he said that a few hundred people from each population group should take part. "In such studies the more the better," he said.
Professor Delta made a special reference to the campaign of the University of Cyprus and the Rector of Tassos Christofidis "Research saves lives". The University of Cyprus, he said, calls on "donors, sponsors who are interested in supporting research specifically on infectious diseases such as Covid-19».
Asked about the cost of the study, he said that it will be covered by funds available from the University of Cyprus, some of European origin and some of university origin. He also said the cost is high, but will be split in stages. "It is not large per person but we want to include a large number of people," he said.
He expressed his gratitude in advance to those who may be interested in funding the research.
The Dean of the Medical School of the University of Cyprus, Professor George Chatzigeorgiou, stated that "this is an important moment for the scientific community of Cyprus, this partnership of the three universities, which we believe will yield very important findings", which will also be very important for the people who make health policy in Cyprus.
He referred to the challenges faced by medical schools in the midst of a pandemic. PK is a research university, he said, "so it is very important that in the midst of a pandemic and in the midst of such a heavy educational and clinical burden by the members of the Medical School, it is possible to gather and carry out research proposals with a good result." .
For his part, Professor Petros Karagiannis stated that "so far we know very little about the quality of antibodies and the duration of antibodies." What has emerged from international studies is that at least asymptomatic people do not appear to produce the same level of antibodies as one who has developed severe symptoms.
Of course, he said, "this information will also give us courage regarding the development of vaccines and whether these vaccines will be effective or not, because the duration of immunity is what matters."
He added, "What we do not know is whether people who have become ill after a period are prone to relapse." Some such cases have been published in reputable journals, but fortunately so far they are limited.
He referred in particular to the importance of genetic material in relation to Covid-19. We know from other diseases that depending on our genetic "is", one can get more serious than another. We know this especially now with this particular virus where the manifestations it presents are from asymptomatic, to very severe, to death ". From other diseases we know that our genetic material can predispose us to an acute form of infection, in years, how we respond to a possible treatment and so on.
He expressed the hope that the studies that will follow will shed light on these issues.
In his short speech, the Lecturer of Epidemiology at the European University of Cyprus, Giannis Mamais, appealed to volunteers to participate in the research. The information, which will emerge from the research, will provide "quite good epidemiological data for Cyprus," he said.
The Assistant Professor of the University of Cyprus George Nikolopoulos stated that this is a research, scientific effort, which brings together scientists from different fields to be able to answer critical questions, which concern the Covid-19».
He made special reference to the issue of estimating the prevalence of antibodies in the general population. An effort will be made in which we will take a random representative sample of the population and in fact we will have successive sampling. "This will allow us, if all goes well, to be able to capture the real impact of the disease on the population," he said. That is, he explained, "to have a good assessment of undiagnosed cases." This, he added, will also allow us to understand what the real mortality was in Cyprus.
The fact that successive samples will be taken and we will see how the prevalence changes over time, means that we will be able to understand and what is the impact of the disease, how the disease runs. This, said Professor Nikolopoulos, will have research, epidemiological value, but it will also be a useful information for the State: To understand what is the real impact of the disease and also what effects the interventions have on the impact of the disease.
In her own intervention, the Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases at the Medical School of the University of Cyprus, Dr. Maria Koliou, stated that the study will be very useful not only on a scientific level, "but also on an individual level, will help everyone know if they got sick" . "We will be able to capture virtually how many people in the Cypriot population became ill," he noted. On an individual level, he added, "I think a lot of people will want to know if they get sick, even if they are asymptomatic," because we know that this will offer some immunity and possibly not make them seriously ill when they come in contact with the virus again.
For her part, the physician / infectious disease specialist of the Medical School of the University of Cyprus, Irini Christaki said that we know that Covid disease is characterized by a very wide range of clinical manifestations, asymptomatic infection, very mild disease, but also more severe with the need for acute administration. with involvement of the lower respiratory tract, up to very severe disease, with a need for respiratory support, mechanical ventilation, multiorgan failure, respiratory distress syndrome and death.
"So apart from age and some of the morbidities that have been identified, we do not know in detail these factors that give exactly this vulnerability to serious illness," he said. He may, he added, "have a genetic factor hidden and there is some evidence from the literature."
He added: "This study is therefore very important because it will shed light on these factors, which may make Covid patients more susceptible to more serious illness." "And we see such incidents every day in the hospital," he said.
It is, he added, important to capture some such polymorphisms, clarifying that the study will extract important data for other serious infections.
Source: KYPE