The team behind a major study, which aims to understand more about the impact of severe respiratory viruses on patients and the NHS, is celebrating after finishing the recruitment of 1,000 participants.

The UNIVERSAL study is led by Tom Wilkinson, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Southampton and NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, alongside the team at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit and is being sponsored by University Hospital Southampton.

This study uses blood and swab samples taken from patients admitted to hospital with various respiratory infections to try and find out more information about which infections are most prevalent and likely to cause the most serious problems.

“This study came about as we wanted to build upon the vast amount of knowledge and experience which was gained from treating people with COVID-19,” says Professor Wilkinson. “What we saw over the course of the pandemic was that individual responses to respiratory viral infections varied from patient to patient, ranging from very mild symptoms to severe infections which required hospital care.

“What we want to be able to do is understand more about how and when patients with different respiratory viruses may progress to more serious disease and help develop effective antiviral and anti-inflammatory treatments to combat these infections.”

The samples taken from patients are analysed for certain biomarkers that indicate immune and inflammatory responses in the body. Participants are also assessed by medical teams and asked to fill in questionnaires to monitor their symptoms and any progression of the infection.

“By combining the information on patients’ symptoms with the results from the sample analysis we can build up a picture of which viruses are affecting the population,” says Abigail Jones, Trial Manager for UNIVERSAL at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit. “We hope this information will also allow us to identify those patients who are more likely to become more seriously ill and experience severe symptoms, as well as better predicting their recovery and length of stay in hospital.”

Pedro Rodrigues, Senior Trial Manager at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit and Co-Investigator of the UNIVERSAL study, said: “Every winter, respiratory viruses like flu and RSV stretch NHS resources to their limit. The UNIVERSAL Study is tackling this by collecting real-time data and working closely with frontline clinicians. This is crucial to help us better understand how these viruses impact patients and healthcare services.

“Our goal is to make a real-world impact, move from sickness to prevention and from hospital care to community-based care, protecting patients and strengthening our NHS when it’s needed most.”

Overall, the study recruited 1,000 patients who tested positive for a viral respiratory infection at hospital sites around the UK.

The team are now analysing all the data from the study participants and hope to publish the results later this year.

Professor Wilkinson concludes: “Southampton is leading the way in respiratory research, bringing together researchers and clinicians at the University and the Hospital Trust through the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre. The results of the UNIVERSAL study will hopefully pave the way for more targeted care and better treatments for patients with severe respiratory infections.

“We want to thank every one of the 1,000 plus people who volunteered to take part in our study and are helping us to gain vital knowledge in this area and the wonderful NHS research teams across the country who delivered the study with us.”

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