Lucy Kornblith, M.D. and Zachary Matthay, M.D. Awarded Two Grants for COVID-19 Research
UCSF Surgeon-scientist Lucy Kornblith, M.D. (PI) and her mentee, Zachary Matthay, M.D. (Co-PI) were awarded two grants for their proposed COVID-19-related research by the UCSF COVID-19 Rapid Response Pilot Grant Program, supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and National Institutes of Health (sponsored by the UCSF Academic Senate, Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and the Research Development Office).
The first award will support their proposed prospective study entitled “CO-ACIT: COVID-19 Associated Coagulopathy, Inflammation, and Thrombosis.”
The primary aims of this investigation are to comprehensively characterize the coagulation abnormalities in COVID-19 patients and to identify the alterations in coagulation profiles that are most associated with thrombotic complications in these patients, such as the development of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. This will be accomplished by measuring whole blood viscoelastic clot formation and platelet function, coagulation and inflammatory biomarkers, and classical coagulation assays in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. They anticipate the results will provide additional insight into the mechanisms of coagulopathy attributable to COVID-19 and may support the development of future interventional studies to investigate the role of anti-thrombotic therapies for patients with COVID-19.
The second award will support a multi-center observational study entitled “The DISTANCE Study: Discovering the Impact of Social-Distancing on Trauma Epidemiology and Resources during the COVID-19 Epidemic.”
The COVID-19 pandemic and associated large-scale social distancing efforts to reduce viral transmission have led to dramatic changes in human behaviors associated with traumatic injury. Although initially overall injury rates decreased during the COVID-19 era, several trauma centers have noted important changes in injury patterns, mechanisms, and demographics, as well as limitations to available resources to care for trauma patients in a strained healthcare system.
This study will analyze comprehensive injury data regionally at centers throughout California through the Northern California Research Consortium for Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. The results are expected to inform trauma care and resource allocation during future pandemic level responses.