Colleagues across the RVC have been working together with peers in the veterinary and scientific world to help in the fight against Covid-19. A range of activities have been undertaken from contributing to the scientific knowledge base through research to sharing expertise and donating equipment Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology Dirk Pfeiffer and Senior Research Fellow Dr Guillaume Fournié have been working on a version of their openaccess Epidemix App, with a model and parameter sets adapted to COVID-19. It will help people to visually explore trends in time and space relating to the disease’s transmission. Professor Pfeiffer is a member of a World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Advisory Group on COVID-19, which produced material presenting the current knowledge on the role of animals in the emergence of the coronavirus and identifies research priorities at the human-animal interface. From beginning of the outbreak in China, he contributed to specialist publications and the news media in order to inform the public, other scientists and clinicians, and policymakers alike.

Global Approach to RVC help against COVID 19

The RVC-led One Health Poultry Hub is playing an important part in Covid-19 research. It was established to address the need to meet rising demand for poultry meat and eggs in developing countries, while minimising risk to international public health. It comprises some of the world’s leading experts in global health security, zoonotic disease surveillance, and outbreak response. It includes key RVC clinicians and researchers: Professor Pfeiffer (who is also Professor of One Health at City University of Hong Kong) is Deputy Director, Dr Fournié is the Hub’s Research Coordinator, and Professor Oliver Pybus, of the RVC and University of Oxford, is part of the Hub and the UK rapid-response team for coronavirus genomics. Hub members have been contributing to practical thinking and discussions on how nations move forwards, helping to guide the world’s recovery from the pandemic and ensuring lessons are learned. Partner organisations of the Hub span Asia, Australia and Europe. They include Chatham House, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, City University of Hong Kong, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the University of Oxford and The Pirbright Institute. 

Collaboration with Francis Crick Institute during COVID crisis 

Continuing the ongoing and expanding partnership between the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and the Francis Crick Institute, Simon Priestnall, Professor of Veterinary Anatomic Pathology at the RVC, has contributed to a significant new piece of research just published in Science which shows that a protein currently being trialled as a treatment for COVID-19 interferes with the repair of lung tissue. Professor Simon Priestnall, Professor of Veterinary Anatomic Pathology at the RVC, said: “This research is another example of the way in which the RVC’s veterinary pathologists are working together with scientists at the Francis Crick Institute on research which is furthering our understanding of COVID-19 and other viral diseases. At the RVC, we always emphasise the need for collaboration between different disciplines to achieve the best health outcomes for animals and humans, and this vital research demonstrates just how important such an approach is.”

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