M. Eisenacher, Ruhr University Bochum
Service center: Service center Bioinformatics for Proteomics – BioInfra.Prot
Shortage of material and personnel, resulting in treatment withdrawal due to limited resources is a major concern in the current COVID-19 pandemic. These end-of-life decisions and the allocation of available ICU resources should be accompanied by objective assessment criteria. In this context, there is general consensus in Germany that a decision based on age alone is not appropriate to answer this question and raises the necessity for a more sophisticated approach.
In order to precisely evaluate the outcome, all available data dimensions (clinical, laboratory chemistry, genetic, omics, etc.) should be used allowing to define certain subgroups with high risk of death or having no prospect of recovery. The main challenge of this approach is the rapid analysis and stringent evaluation of the complex data sets with the help of modern bioinformatics in order to retransfer this knowledge to clinical practice.
Therefore, the aim of the proposed research project is to develop a risk prediction module by using artificial intelligence, which is able to adequately link clinical and biological big data and convert these into a clinical applicable risk prediction score. Subsequently, once usable in clinical practice, this score can support the physician to assess the course of severe COVID-19. This will address the need for objective assessment criteria (short-term prognosis criterion). Here we aim to develop a risk prediction model, which will hopefully be sufficient to impact on the current COVID-19 crisis and resolve this critical issue.
CovidDataNet.NRW is a follow-up activity of the SepsisDataNet.NRW consortium. Here, besides BioInfra.Prot (Martin Eisenacher, Ruhr-University Bochum) as experts for bioinformatics and statistics, various clinics located in North Rhine-Westphalia are involved.
For further information on SepsisDataNet.NRW: http://www.sepsisdatanet.de/index.php
