SÜP

Cross-sectoral platform

The Cross-Sectoral Platform (SÜP) is a component of the National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON), which was established in July 2020 as part of the Network of University Medicine (NUM). NAPKON brings together decentralised national research activities into a coherent framework and creates comprehensive cohorts and infrastructures. Its main goal is to recruit a high quality cohort of COVID-19 for detailed phenotyping of the disease.

The SÜP is a national, multicentre, minimally invasive (blood sampling, swabbing, urine collection, interviews), prospective cohort study. It includes patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection and controls , in both inpatient and outpatient setting, from university and non-university hospitals and medical practices throughout Germany. This allows a broad recruitment of cases from all over Germany and the rapid inclusion of additional study centres in pandemic hotspots. To cover all age groups, a pediatric module is included to enroll patients and controls under 18 years of age. The platform is designed for rapid scalability in the event of a pandemic and offers  simple workflow protocols, biospecimen collection and mobile team support.

The primary goal is to provide a comprehensive and harmonised data and specimen collection to national consortia, pharmaceutical companies and international research collaborations to improve the investigation of COVID-19 disease and preparedness for future pandemics.

Further information at: https://napkon.de/projekt-napkon/