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COVID-19 Research Portal

ITHS › ITHS COVID-19 Research Resources › COVID-19 Research Portal

COVID-19 RESEARCH PORTAL

In this time of unprecedented research need, the Institute of Translational Health Sciences at the University of Washington is assisting researchers requesting COVID-19 biospecimens and/or proposing clinical research with persons with or at risk for COVID-19.

UW ITHS COVID-19 Research Review Working Group

The UW ITHS COVID-19 Research Review Working Group was formed to implement a systematic review process for proposals submitted to the University of Washington. As the availability of clinical samples and persons with or at risk for COVID-19 may not satisfy all requests, this working group is tasked with determination of research priorities.

This working group will adhere to these primary goals:

  • To provide a fair and transparent system for scientific review and prioritization for COVID-19 research at UW.
  • To ensure that research conducted is both of high priority and of high quality.
  • To facilitate COVID-19 research that will benefit patient care.

Key Information for Submitting Proposed Research to the Working Group
Proposal Eligibility
These types of clinical research proposals must be submitted through the portal:

  • Therapeutic or Preventative Clinical Trials
  • Assay Development
  • COVID-19 Samples or Data Requests
  • Studies involving patients or biospecimens at UW.

Research excluded from this process:

  • Animal studies
  • Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 testing methods within the Department of Laboratory Medicine
  • Studies that were ongoing as of 3/17/20
  • Studies that do not require UW IRB approval
  • Expanded Access Studies
  • Studies that do not involve patients or biospecimens at UW
  • Studies involving only healthy volunteers

Process & Timeline

Investigators are required to submit applications to UW HSD, CRBB and the ITHS Research Portal simultaneously. Approval letters will be sent from the COVID-19 Research Review Working Group directly to the investigator. IRB approval will be contingent upon HSD receiving the approval letter from individual investigators.

The working group meets weekly.  The deadline for submission is Fridays at 4:00pm. Applications are evaluated and decisions reported the following Wednesday or Thursday, depending on volume of proposals received.

*Requests for access to COVID-19 patient or research data will be evaluated by a sub-group to this committee.

Scoring Criteria

The Working Group evaluates applications for three major criteria: scientific merit, operational feasibility, and benefit or burden to the patient.  Successful applications are those that present a strong justification, include evidence of statistical input including objectives and associated power calculations, and have already formulated how their proposal will integrate with and not duplicate current approved studies that are already ongoing.

Proposal Requirements

Proposals must include the following components (submitted as a single pdf document):

  1. Cover Letter
    • Name, Title, Institution
    • Role on the Project
    • Contact Information
    • Other Essential Investigators – Names, Titles, Institutions
    • Summary of any previous discussion with University of Washington, Fred Hutch or Seattle Children’s Hospital personnel on this subject
  2. Proposal Description (Two page limit, 11 font Arial or equivalent) including:
    • Background and rationale
    • Hypotheses (if relevant), primary & secondary objectives (if relevant)
    • Project description (design, patient or sample characteristics, number of participants, intervention (if relevant), sample size, statistical issues)
    • A brief description of the table of procedures
    • Anticipated source of funding
    • Brief statement on why this research should be conducted at UW and why this research should be prioritized given the current crisis
  3. References
    • List relevant publications cited in the above sections supporting this proposal
  4. Biosketches (preferred) or CV, up to two total.

**Please note that the working group will review only the materials described above (cover letter, research description, references, and biosketches). Any other materials, such as consent forms, full protocols, recruitment tables, etc., will not be reviewed by the working group.

Submit Your Request

Prior to submitting a proposal, please review ongoing approved research to avoid overlap issues.