Department / Institute: Institute of Immunology

Different testing strategies are required for the general population, schools and day-care centers as well as risk areas and clinics in order to fight the corona pandemic. In this context, the B-FAST project of the National Research Network of German University Hospitals aims to develop sustainable and flexible testing strategies that can be transferred to future pandemics. The group of Prof. Förster essentially contributes by developing a very simple and quick test for the detection of neutralizing antibodies. These special antibodies are pivotal because only they can protect the body from SARS-CoV-2 infections. With the help of the developed test, it will be possible to examine a large number of patients in clinical studies and determine how long these essential antibodies are present in the blood. In addition, the new method can be adapted so that it can also be used for routine examinations in the future.

Department / Institute: Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics

The primary goal of this joint project is to develop a sustainable, scalable surveillance and testing strategy that can be transferred to future pandemies and tested in different application areas, and thus to contain the spread of the pandemic pathogen through non-medical measures. On this platform, necessary test and surveillance systems will be linked and joined to make all relevant information and recommendations available to all university hospitals, the RKI and other parties involved in the network.

Department / Institute: Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics

This project implements a nationwide platform, secure platform for storing and retreiving COVID-19 research data sets. For example, laboratory data can be made available to researchers in pseudonymized form, using secure and transparent procedures. Thus, the platform will become the central source of information for various research projects dealing with the development of better treatment approaches for COVID-19. Furthermore, the platform offers the possibility to make programs or apps developed at one site available to other sites via open interfaces.

Department / Institute: Institute of Pathology

Our workgroup specializes in in-depth analysis of explanted thoracic organs after solid organ transplantation far beyond standard routine pathology. Over the last decade, we compiled a multitude of morphological and molecular methods, especially on formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) material, that can be directly transferred on COVID-19 samples.
Besides preparation of multiblock samples from different patients for quick and cost-efficient analysis of a larger cohort of samples and a large portfolio of established immunohistochemical staining applied in our routine diagnostics, we offer several specialized tools, ranging from multi-immuno-fluorescence analysis for complementary, compartment-specific detection of expressed proteins over RNA extraction of FFPE material and consecutive analysis of compartment specific gene expression to high resolution x-ray imaging allowing for example the characterization of the inflammatory cell composition, potential virus entry sites, lymphatics and presence of thrombi.

Department / Institute: CCC Hannover (Claudia von Schilling-Zentrum)

COVID-19 pandemic changed clinical care on various levels. This project is part of the “Netzwerk Universitätsmedizin (NUM), a national network to bring together experts from various academic institutions and faculties. EviPan aims to optimize managements and preparedness during pandemic. Our work package “Ethical Aspects of risk stratification” aims to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative changes in oncologic and psychiatric treatment during COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, potentially emerging conflicts over decisions and values are assessed. About 2000 physicians, nursing staff and patients from all over Germany will be surveyed by specific questionnaires. Based on our findings, a comprehensive evaluation of ethical and medico-legal aspects will lead to the development of a checklist for the management of oncology and psychiatry care during the pandemic and to the development of guidelines for this type of decision making under these critical conditions.
https://www.mhh.de/ccc-hannover-claudia-von-schilling-zentrum/forschung-und-wissenschaft

Department / Institute: Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

In order to face the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, all aspects of patient care, including inpatient and outpatient care, were required to make considerable changes. The EViPan Unimed project (OnCoVID-2; cross-site project coordination: Prof. Dr. Jörg Haier, Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC), MHH) uses questionnaires to detect the effects of the pandemic on the participatory decision-making of those affected and treating them. Within this multidisciplinary project, the focus of the Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy is on mental illnesses. The resulting data are compared with an oncological cohort (CCC, MHH) and processed in such a way that they can be applied to other diagnostic entities.

Department / Institute: Hannover Unified Biobank (HUB)

The project aims to build a harmonized, expandable and interoperable National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON) to support both the fight against the current COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences and future pandemics of all origins. To this end, a uniform concept with infrastructure cores and cohort platforms for the representative collection of fine-grained data and biosamples is to be established in Germany in order to ensure integrative research and the rapid transfer of results into clinical application and a timely and comprehensive understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics build up.
For this purpose, an overall cohort concept was developed, on the basis of which all the necessary data will be merged via uniform data record definitions in the planned joint research data platform. Furthermore, within the NAPKON biosample core under the direction of Prof. Dr. Thomas Illig has developed a uniform basic biosample program that contains an SOP manual that is valid at all locations, an adapted quality management system and a specific training and audit system.

Department / Institute: General Practice

Primary goals in pandemic times are prevention as well as diagnostic measures for and therapeutic treatment of those suffering from the pandemic disease. Despite of all efforts taken people will die in pandemic times due to Covid-19, other infections or other oncologic or non-oncologic diseases. Ultimately, dying and death are inevitable topics. Tender care of people’s end of life is a central task of our society and health system.Targets of PallPan are the development and a broad consent about a national strategy for the care of seriously ill and dying people and their relatives in pandemic times. This includes:
(a) Recommendations of actions for general and specialized palliative care (outpatient and inpatient) of patients with/without infections on micro, meso and macro level,
(b) Collection and creation of information with regard to the online information programme planned by the National Research Network of  University Medicine, as well as
(c) Identification of variables for the scientific recording of palliative care provided for the Research Network of University Medicine.

Department / Institute: Institut für Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie

RACOON is the first countrywide Radiology plattform. Almost all German university hospitals are involved. Radiology data assembled from COVID-19 cases are acquired and linked to other data available. Findings will be analyzed with artificial intelligence. This will facilitate fast and precise diagnosis of the disease and its follow up and can help with situation assessment, epidemiologic studies, and early warning mechanisms.