Take part in COVID-19 gene research
On 30 April, Dr Sundar Ashok (pictured) and our patient Anis Zubair appeared on BBC London TV News, regarding a new opportunity for the public to help scientists understand COVID-19 and find new treatments.
You can watch it here . If you would like to see more information and decide if you would like to take part, see here . Participation includes a quick visit from a nurse to take a blood sample.
While this launch for wider public participation continues, the earlier stages of this project were already underway within NHS Trusts. During the past year, 106 of our own intensive care patients in Croydon have participated, helping our understanding of the virus.
Dr Ashok is our Consultant Intensivist and Anaesthetist at Croydon University Hospital, and our local lead on this research, and Anis is taking part after being one of our patients in intensive care.
The researchers are especially keen to hear from potential participants from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicities - for whom the virus sometimes has a higher impact - to find out why these differences occur and how to prevent them. If you are interested in learning more, please see the above links.