Established | April 2020 |
---|---|
Focus | COVID-19 genomic sequencing |
Key people | Sharon Peacock |
Budget | £32.2 million[1] |
Location |
The COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium was a group of academic institutions and public health agencies in the United Kingdom created in April 2020[1][2][3] to collect, sequence and analyse genomes of SARS-CoV-2 at scale, as part of COVID-19 pandemic response.
The genome data generated by COG-UK was integrated with epidemiological data and patient health records to monitor introductions into the UK, community transmission and outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2; to assess changes in transmissibility and virulence; and to evaluate the impact of treatments and non-pharmaceutical interventions. COG-UK members also undertook research that integrated human genomic and health data to understand the biology of SARS-CoV-2 and its impact on those infected.[4]
The consortium identified the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant (at the time, referred to as Variant of Concern 202012/01) in November 2020, which became the subject of subsequent investigations by the UK public health agencies, coordinated by Public Health England and supported by COG-UK.[5][6]
Between April and September 2021, SARS-CoV-2 sequencing transitioned to become a public health-led national service[7] after which COG-UK focused on data linkage, research and international training.[8]
The consortium formally closed at the end of March 2023.[9]
COG-UK was supported by £20 million funding from the Department of Health and Social Care, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and the Wellcome Sanger Institute.[1]
The consortium received a further £12.2 million from the Department of Health and Social Care's Testing Innovation Fund in November 2020 to facilitate the genome sequencing capacity needed to meet the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the UK over the 2020-2021 winter period.[10]
Together with Wellcome Connecting Science (WCS), COG-UK was also awarded a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office/Wellcome Epidemic Preparedness Coronavirus grant of nearly £1 million to develop COG-Train, a learning programme to support the global scientific and public health community in SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing.[11]
The project - called the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium - is a collaboration between the NHS, public health agencies and the Wellcome Sanger Institute universities. Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: "This new consortium will bring together the UK's brightest and best scientists to build our understanding of this pandemic, tackle the disease and ultimately, save lives."
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