Research
Patients lie at the heart of every outbreak and clinical research is central to addressing their needs. Through ISARIC’s collaborative platform, we are able to implement patient-centred clinical research projects to generate high-quality evidence during and between epidemics.
Research projects led by our Members aim to advance understanding and clinical care of patients with epidemic- and pandemic-prone infections whilst enhancing outbreak research preparedness. ISARIC applies a multi-pronged approach to evidence generation, and therefore our Members lead a broad, multi-disciplinary portfolio of projects that includes observational studies to characterise disease, clinical trials of medical interventions to improve patients’ outcomes, and cross-cutting methodological and qualitative research.
Our approach
Empowering Researchers
Increasing the agency of low- and middle-income country investigators and reducing the chronic asymmetry of power and benefits.
Improving Research Quality
Increasing the quality and impact of clinical research studies, with a particular focus on evidence-generation from clinical trials.
Increasing Preparedness
Improving clinical research agility and readiness.
CLOSED: Research Prioritisation Stakeholder Consultation
With the input of ISARIC’s Members, Partners and other key stakeholders, our research prioritisation activities are intended to guide some of ISARIC’s core programmes of work, ensuring that the most urgent, relevant research questions gain the critical research investments they require. We will take a multi-pronged approach to generating and reviewing ISARIC’s research priorities to ensure our agenda is agile and responsive to the changing landscape of epidemic-prone infectious diseases.
COVID-19
More than a decade of preparedness for acute respiratory outbreaks enabled ISARIC’s rapid, global response to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We worked with more than 2,000 partners around the globe to assemble the world’s largest collection of accessible data on individuals hospitalised with COVID-19.
These data generated critical evidence that informed clinical guidelines, public health policy, regulatory submissions for new medicinal counter measures, and clinical trial designs.
Dengue
The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies dengue as one of the top ten threats to human health. We are supporting a coordinated global response to develop improved research methods, understand changes in clinical epidemiology, and support clinical trials of new treatments.
Ebola and Filoviruses
Filovirus outbreaks, such as the ones caused by Ebola viruses and Marburg virus, are devastating for affected communities and have significant impact on peoples’ social and economic conditions. Despite this, advancement of evidence-based treatment has been slow because outbreaks are short-lived and unpredictable. ISARIC researchers are uniquely placed to catalyse a practice-changing clinical trial for Filoviridae by applying innovations that enable trials large enough to be definitive.
Hepatitis (Acute Paediatric)
We have consulted with a number of agencies working on severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children. ISARIC’s global position is to work with the World Health Organization (WHO) on a data collection tool to ensure international standardised data collection, should it be required.
In 2022, an increase of cases of acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children was reported in several countries, resulting in death and increased demand for liver transplantations. In response to the unexpected surge in cases, ISARIC launched its Clinical Characterisation protocol to systematically collect data on signs and symptoms and patient outcomes.
Lassa Fever
Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness uniquely endemic to parts of West Africa. Due to limited historic investments in clinical research, no drug has been licensed for Lassa fever, and evidence supporting the currently recommended treatment with ribavirin has been questioned.
To support the advancement of clinical research for Lassa fever treatment, we have conducted a series of activities designed to close knowledge gaps around the clinical presentation of the disease itself, understand the role of ribavirin in the treatment of Lassa fever, and develop methodologies to support future trials. The aim of this work has been to create a regionally-owned, end-to-end, public health-driven approach towards evaluating accessible therapies for Lassa fever.
Mpox (formerly monkeypox)
Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the mpox virus (MPXV) of the genus Orthopoxvirus, together with viruses like smallpox, cowpox, and vaccinia. There are two distinct genetic groupings called “clades” of MPXV traditionally endemic to different endemic regions of Central and West Africa. However, the virus is evolving and spreading: a previously unknown sub-clade of the Clade II virus that was identified in 2022 during an unprecedented multi-country mpox outbreak, and a new clade I lineage has emerged in the Democratic of the Congo (DRC) in 2024.
We have a portfolio of research activities to improve understanding and patient care for mpox.
Nipah
Nipah virus (NiV) is a high-consequence pathogen with no licensed therapeutics or vaccines and limited diagnostic testing. We aim to advance knowledge and deliver solutions to improve clinical outcomes of patients with NiV and other Henipavirus diseases.
Plague
Plague is a zoonotic disease of epidemic potential caused by Yersinia pestis. While currently over 90% of illness in humans occur in just two countries – Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – the animal reservoir extends across all continents (except Oceania). Antibiotic treatment is available, but the evidence-base from experimental data is weak and no conclusive clinical trial has yet been completed.
To augment the clinical evidence around improving outcomes of patients with bubonic plague, we have developed a multi-pronged approach to enhance understanding of the disease, develop methodologies that can be used to evaluate existing and new medical countermeasures, and evaluate therapeutics.
Acute respiratory infection (ARI)
Short PeRiod IncideNce sTudy of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection – SPRINT-SARI:
An effective epidemic response depends on how well prepared we are. This starts before the pandemic begins. The ISARIC SPRINT-SARI study is a global prospective observational study that has been enrolling patients with severe acute respiratory infections since 2015, increasing knowledge of these infections in inter-epidemic times, in preparation for a future pandemic.