Mapping global research on COVID-19 treatment

The Grundfos Foundation has granted 2.9m DKK (USD 420,000) to a team of researchers monitoring global research on treatment of COVID-19. In March and April 2020, the Foundation has supported a number of relief initiatives to fight the global pandemic caused by coronavirus.

"These are extraordinary times, calling for extraordinary measures. Even though we usually do not usually fund healthcare research, the Foundation has decided to support this very important project. This year, we have decided to allocate extra funds to good causes, and we are pleased to be able to support a project of this caliber." Kim Nøhr Skibsted, Executive Director, Grundfos Foundation.

The research project is led by Copenhagen Trial Unit, Centre for Clinical Intervention Research at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark and chief physician Janus Christian Jakobsen. For this project, Janus Christian Jakobsen has gathered a team of experts from Denmark, Sweden, Canada and Greece.

“The whole world is currently searching for a treatment for COVID-19. However, it is rare that one single trial can determine whether a treatment is effective or not. There is often a need for an overview of the available evidence from all trials conducted,” says Janus Christian Jakobsen.

The research project will be continuously updated as new results about COVID-19 treatment are published worldwide. The project’s lead author will be researcher Sophie Merrild Juul:

“We want to create a continuous overview of the available evidence and share it with doctors, researchers and the public. We also plan to assess the quality of each individual study to determine which interventions work, and which do not. We are gathering and surveilling all available research on COVID-19 and thereby decreasing the timespan from evidence to clinical practice, which is crucial in this health crisis.

Copenhagen Trial Unit
Copenhagen Trial Unit (CTU) is a clinical intervention research unit at Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, conducting clinical research within all specialities. CTU collaborates with universities and the industry in both Denmark and internationally to constantly improve the methods of randomized clinical trials. The core staff of CTU consists of experienced trialists, clinicians, epidemiologists, statisticians, information-technology engineers, and information specialists.