Increasing the capacity and capability, and accessibility to the local population, of health-related omics research in Hull

PromethION 24是一种用于详细分析临床样本中脱氧核糖核酸（DNA）和核糖核酸（RNA）以及从样本中识别出的细菌、病毒或真菌的性质的设备。PromethION 24产生的信息可以告知医生和研究人员临床样本中的独特“信号”，或从这些样本中识别出的细菌，病毒或真菌的DNA/RNA，这可以帮助理解导致疾病的过程并开发新的诊断测试，和/或告知感染如何在人群中传播。这反过来可以告知如何控制和/或改善病情的治疗。这种所谓的“基因组学”技术（有时称为“组学”，这是相关研究的更广泛术语）已在COVID-19大流行中广泛使用。船体大学教学医院（HUTH）的研究范围迅速扩大，在MRC有兴趣资助的工作领域。在与船体大学和船体约克医学院的合作中，HUTH的医生正在将"组学"应用于一系列临床样本，这使得当地的专业知识使用了一种名为MinION的相关但吞吐量低得多的设备。容量和进一步增长的能力目前受到这种较低吞吐量技术的严重限制。Promethion24将被安置在位于HUTH城堡山医院校园的Daisy大楼的实验室中。所有的共同申请人都在这里，船体皇家医院和船体大学就在附近，方便了样本的运输，也方便了临床医生和研究人员之间的密切合作。PromethION 24的通量提高了24倍至120倍，保持了较低的实验室“足迹”，并总体降低了分析每个样品的成本。HUTH Daisy大楼的高品质实验室空间致力于仔细储存和处理此类研究的患者样本。这种分析需要强大的计算机来分析、解释和存储产生的数据，这将得到船体大学VIPER超级计算机的支持，VIPER超级计算机是英格兰北部最强大的计算机之一，支持当前的研究。六处HUTH将通过一个新的"组学"委员会监督使用和管理，这将允许新的研究问题，显着的地方和国家的重要性，以解决最初的重点是感染和伤口相关的项目。早期项目将包括研究：伤口中细菌的性质及其如何影响愈合;急性白血病患者在接受强化化疗之前、期间和之后皮肤和口腔中的真菌，以及这与抗真菌药物使用的关系，以及他们是否会感染（与NIHR资助的试验BioDriveAFS相关）;与那些不注射毒品的人相比，注射毒品的人体内的细菌会导致血液感染，以及这如何与他们的感染和这些细菌在社区中的传播联系起来;抗生素耐药细菌的性质与基于两种抗生素的治疗在实验室中对它们的作用之间的关系;以及在患有和不患有细菌性（脓毒性）关节炎的患者的大关节液（例如膝关节）中识别的细菌和独特的"信号"。访问将提供给其他HUTH临床医生和合作伙伴组织，以符合我们的预期合作使用，导致数据支持相关的未来外部资金申请计划，并在“组学”研究本地的一步变化。重要的是，该技术将增加当地患者的研究参与机会，这些患者生活在疾病负担高的地区，并且研究活动服务不足。该奖项还将为扩大当地医疗保健专业人员和研究人员的“组学”教育提供一个平台，并促进对国家基因组学研究项目的贡献。

The PromethION24 is a device used to analyse the nature of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) in detail in clinical samples, and in bacteria, viruses or fungi identified from samples. The information generated by a PromethION24 can inform doctors and researchers about unique 'signals' within clinical samples, or the DNA/RNA of bacteria, viruses, or fungi, identified from such samples, which can help understanding of the processes that cause disease and develop new diagnostic tests, and/or inform about how an infection spreads within a population. This in turn can inform about how to control and/or improve the treatment of a condition. This so-called "genomics" technology (sometimes called "omics" which is a broader term for related research) has been used extensively in the COVID-19 pandemic. Hull University Teaching Hospitals (HUTH) has a rapidly expanding range of research, in areas of work the MRC is interested in funding. In collaboration with the University of Hull and Hull York Medical School, doctors at HUTH are applying "omics" to a range of clinical samples, which has resulted in local expertise using a related, but much lower throughput device called MinION. Capacity and capability to grow further is currently severely limited by this lower throughput technology. The PromethION24 will be housed in a laboratory based in the Daisy Building on the Castle Hill Hospital campus of HUTH. All co-applicants are based here, with Hull Royal Infirmary and the University of Hull close by, allowing easy transport of samples and close collaboration between clinical doctors and researchers. The PromethION24 delivers 24-times to 120-times more throughput, retains a low laboratory 'footprint', and overall reduces the cost of analysing each sample. High quality laboratory space in the Daisy Building at HUTH is dedicated to the careful storage and processing of patient samples for this type of research. Such analyses require powerful computers to analyse, interpret and store the produced data and this will be supported by the University of Hull VIPER supercomputer, which is one of the most powerful in the north of England, and supports current research. The Dept. of Research & Development, HUTH will oversee use and governance via a new "omics" committee, that will allow new research questions of notable local and national importance to be addressed with a focus initially on infection and wound related projects. Early projects will include studies of: the nature of bacteria in wounds and how they influence healing; the fungi on the skin and in the mouth of patients with acute leukaemia before, during and after they receive intensive chemotherapy and how this links to antifungal drug use and whether they develop an infection (linked to a NIHR funded trial, BioDriveAFS); bacteria that cause bloodstream infections in people who inject drugs compared to those who do not, and how this links to their infection and the spread of these bacteria in the community; the relationship between the nature of antibiotic resistant bacteria and how well a two antibiotic based therapy works against them in the laboratory; and the bacteria and unique 'signals' identified in the large joint fluid (e.g. knee) of patients with and without bacterial (septic) arthritis. Access will be available to other HUTH clinicians, and partner organisations, in keeping with our intended collaborative use, leading to data to support a programme of related future external funding applications, and a step-change in "omics" research locally. Importantly, the technology will increase research participation opportunities for local patients, who live in an area with high disease burden and that has been underserved by research activity. The award will also provide a platform for expanding "omics" education of local healthcare professionals and researchers, as well as facilitating increasing contributions to national genomics research projects.