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

PrometION24是一种用于详细分析临床样本以及从样本中识别出的细菌、病毒或真菌中脱氧核糖核酸(DNA)和核糖核酸(RNA)的性质的设备。PrometION24产生的信息可以让医生和研究人员了解临床样本中的独特“信号”，或从这些样本中识别出的细菌、病毒或真菌的DNA/RNA，这有助于了解导致疾病的过程和开发新的诊断测试，和/或告知感染如何在人群中传播。这反过来又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“基因组学”，是相关研究的更宽泛的术语)在新冠肺炎大流行中被广泛使用。赫尔大学教学医院(HUTH)的研究范围迅速扩大，在MRC有兴趣资助的工作领域。在与赫尔大学和赫尔·约克医学院的合作下，胡斯大学的医生们正在对一系列临床样本应用“组学”，这使得当地的专家使用了一种相关的、但吞吐量低得多的设备，称为MINION。容量和进一步增长的能力目前受到这一较低吞吐量技术的严重限制。ProMethION24将被安置在胡特城堡山医院园区的雏菊大楼的一个实验室里。所有共同申请者都以这里为基地，赫尔皇家医院和赫尔大学就在附近，便于样本的运输和临床医生和研究人员之间的密切合作。PrometION24的吞吐量提高了24倍到120倍，保持了较低的实验室‘足迹’，并总体上降低了分析每个样品的成本。胡特的黛西大楼的高质量实验室空间专门用于为这类研究仔细存储和处理患者样本。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，这将得到英国北部最强大的超级计算机之一--赫尔毒蛇大学超级计算机的支持，并支持目前的研究。该部门。在研究与发展部，胡特将通过一个新的“组学”委员会监督使用和治理，该委员会将允许解决具有显著地方和全国重要性的新研究问题，最初重点是感染和伤口相关项目。早期项目将包括以下研究：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，这与抗真菌药物的使用以及他们是否会发生感染(与NIHR资助的一项名为BioDriveAFS的试验有关)；与不注射药物的人相比，导致血液感染的细菌，以及这与他们的感染和这些细菌在社区中传播的关系；抗生素耐药性细菌的性质与实验室中基于两种抗生素的治疗效果如何之间的关系；以及在患有和不患有细菌性(败血症)关节炎的患者的大量关节液(例如膝盖)中发现的细菌和独特的“信号”。其他Huth临床医生和合作组织将可以访问，以与我们计划的协作使用保持一致，从而产生数据来支持相关的未来外部资金申请计划，并在当地的“组学”研究方面取得阶段性变化。重要的是，这项技术将增加当地患者参与研究的机会，这些患者生活在疾病负担较高的地区，而研究活动一直没有为他们提供足够的服务。该奖项还将提供一个平台，扩大对当地医疗保健专业人员和研究人员的“组学”教育，并促进对国家基因组研究项目的更多贡献。

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.