Nationwide Genomic Surveillance and Response to COVID-19: The VA SeqFORCE and SeqCURE Consortiums.

Background: The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has dedicated significant resources toward countering the COVID-19 pandemic. Sequencing for Research Clinical and Epidemiology (SeqFORCE) and Sequencing Collaborations United for Research and Epidemiology (SeqCURE) were developed as clinical and research consortiums, respectively, focused on the genetic COVID-19 surveillance.
Observations: Through genetic sequencing, VA SeqFORCE and SeqCURE collaborations contributed to the COVID-19 pandemic response and scientific understanding. Future directions for each program include the assessment of the unique impact of COVID-19 on the veteran population, as well as the adaptation of these programs to future infectious disease threats. We foresee the use of these established platforms beyond infectious diseases.
Conclusions: VA SeqFORCE and SeqCURE were established as clinical and research programs dedicated to sequencing COVID-19 as part of ongoing clinical and surveillance efforts. In the future, we anticipate that having these programs embedded within the largest integrated health care system in the US will enable the study of pathogens and pandemics beyond COVID-19 and at an unprecedented scale. The investment in these programs will form an integral part of our nation's response to emerging infectious diseases, with future applications to precision medicine and beyond.
Competing Interests: Author disclosures: VCM has received support from the Emory CFAR (P30 AI050409) and received investigator-initiated research grants (to the institution) and consultation fees (both unrelated to the current work) from Eli Lilly, Bayer, Gilead Sciences, and ViiV. CWW has a consulting relationship with Biomeme, Bavarian-Nordic, Pfizer, and Regeneron. CWW has also received research grants from Pfizer and Sanofi. All other authors report no actual or potential conflicts of interest or outside sources of funding with regard to this article.
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