University of Washington to study COVID-19 pharmacogenetics – ModernHealthcare.com

The University of Washington School of Medicine will study pharmacogenetics in patients with COVID-19.

It will work with Washington, D.C.-based Vanda Pharmaceuticals to collect whole-genome sequencing data from more than 1,000 patients with coronavirus infection. The two will sequence the viral genomes to explore host susceptibility, clinical outcomes of whole-genome sequencing, host-virus interactions, and disease severity.

"We believe this collaboration will help answer critical questions and hopefully outcomes in the fight against COVID-19," Alex Greninger, assistant director of the virology division at the UW School of Medicine, said in a statement.

Financial and other details of the collaboration were not disclosed.

The collaboration with UW's virology lab will be part of a larger program from Vanda, dubbed Calypso, to study the role of human genetic variation in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease progression.

"The study has the potential to provide new insights into virus-host interactions that could lead to more effective public health strategies and the design and development of vaccines and therapeutics," Sandra Smieszek, head of genetics at Vanda, said in a statement. "With the vast amount of data we expect to collect, the team will aim to discern the factors associated with severity and other critical, clinical characteristics of the infected individuals."

Vanda on Wednesday also announced it was working with Northwell Health's research arm to conduct a clinical trial of a drug to treat severe pneumonia in COVID-19 patients.

This story first appeared in our sister publication, Genomeweb.

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University of Washington to study COVID-19 pharmacogenetics - ModernHealthcare.com