Today we launch VERDI, a project that prioritizes women and children in the research on new coronavirus variants
Clalit Research Institute and Rabin Medical Center are contributing to VERDI, a new European research consortium on coronavirus in children and pregnant women, led by the project coordinators at the University of Padua and Penta Foundation.
Children and pregnant women have taken a back seat during the COVID-19 pandemic. With children most likely to be the last to be vaccinated and pregnant women often advised against the vaccine, they risk becoming a population at high risk of developing new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
In fact, children have generally been developing the disease in a mild and asymptomatic form, and pregnant women rarely transmit the virus to the fetus. With the emergence of coronavirus variants, however, the potential impact of the infection on this population and its role in the transmission of the virus (e.g. in the family, at school and/or other life contexts) is unknown.
“The research on COVID-19 in children started very late, due to the false belief that children were not affected and not important for understanding the dynamics of the pandemic”, stated Carlo Giaquinto, Professor at the University of Padua and President of the Penta Foundation. “It is extremely important that we eventually recognize the key role that children and adolescents play in the epidemic and the natural history of childhood infection, with particular reference to the long-term consequences of the infection.“
VERDI (SARS-CoV-2 variants Evaluation in pRegnancy and paeDIatrics cohorts), funded by the European Commission with a contribution of 10 million euros, devotes an international and collaborative effort to analyse the impact of new variants in these vulnerable populations.
The research group, made up of 22 centers of excellence in Europe, USA, South Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia, coordinated by the University of Padua and Penta Foundation (Italy), will study the mechanisms of development and diffusion of coronavirus variants as well as their impact on health. It will thus provide useful information for the control of this infection in the various geographical contexts and the improvement of vaccination strategies.
The consortium will share data on coronavirus variants from patient medical records, cohort studies, home transmission studies and screening programs, which will be analyzed in a harmonized manner across the research centers. The monitoring of this population remains a fundamental action to tackle the coronavirus and control the spread of variants, especially in a rapidly evolving epidemiological context due to the increase in vaccination activity as well as the variants.
“The University of Padua and its partners bring to the VERDI project an extraordinary ability to collect and analyse epidemiological data. VERDI Consortium will collaborate with other European research infrastructures (ORCHESTRA, RECOVER, RECODID and ECRAID) to ensure full circulation of research results and their immediate application to treatment and prevention strategies at global level” announced Prof. Carlo Giaquinto of Penta.
Additionally, Prof. Leonard Leibovici of Rabin Medical Center noted the particular importance given the recent focus on children in the pandemic: “In Israel (and other countries) children can and are being vaccinated. The present project will amass much needed data to show the consequences of COVID-19 infection in children, and the protection afforded by the vaccine against old and new variants. Most importantly, we will learn about the local situation here in Israel.” The Clalit Research Institute and Rabin Medical Center will contribute to understanding the burden of SARS-CoV-2 variants in children and pregnant women, examining changes in outcomes and assessing the impact of vaccinations on protection from the disease in these populations.
The results of this collaborative research will serve to find ourselves less unprepared for future health emergencies.
About the Verdi Project
The VERDI project is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the VERDI Consortium only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Horizon Europe | European Commission (europa.eu)
For further information on VERDI:
Arianna Vettorazzi – Università degli Studi di Padova
Email: verdi.sdb@unipd.it