COVID-19 Research

We are looking for people to participate in the NeuroCovid19: brain imaging of survivors

This research study is investigating the impact of COVID-19 on brain health through the use of clinical assessments and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain.

Principal investigator (PI): Dr. Simon Graham

Participants will:

• Have two study visits: baseline and three months after their initial visit at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre. Each visit will be 2-3 hours long
• have brain imaging (MRI) at both visits
• complete a battery of clinical assessments at both visits *
  *please note that some assessments may occur via telehealth

You may be eligible if you:

• Are 19 years of age or older
• Have been tested for COVID-19 – those with both positive and negative results are invited to participate

Reimbursement for travel/parking, and meal expenses will be provided.

If you are interested in learning more, please contact us directly at 416-480-6100 ext. 4293

Email: neurocovid@sunnybrook.ca

Please note that communication via email is not absolutely secure. Thus, please do not communicate personal sensitive information via email.

Visit the Canadian Blood Services for information about COVID-19 and convalescent plasma

Researchers want to understand your experiences in this challenging time

COVID-19 is changing core aspects of people’s lives in a unique manner. Social interactions, family and work are all affected. Researchers want to understand the impacts of these changes and determine what helps people cope. They have launched a study to examine the psychological, social, and financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic at various stages of the outbreak.

You are invited to take part in the study by completing an online survey. The survey will enable the research team to assess the impacts of the COVID pandemic with a focus on health care providers, patients and the general public. Participation in the study is completely voluntary. Your answers will remain confidential.

Sharing your experiences could lead to the design of better tools to help people cope when the world around them suddenly changes.

Please feel free to extend this invitation to your family and friends and post on social media (everyone 12 years and older can participate).

This study is conducted by a collective of scientists from Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, The Ottawa Hospital, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Southlake Regional Health Centre, l’Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies, and l’Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal who are affiliated to the University of Ottawa, University of Montreal, and University McGill. The lead investigator at the Sunnybrook site is Dr. Richard Swartz.

Visit the Toronto Invasive Bacterial DiseaseStudy of the epidemiology of COVID-19 in healthcare workers and their households Network

We’re looking for people to participate in our research study investigating whether a form of light therapy called photodisinfection can decrease the number of coronavirus particles present in the front part of the nose.

What is photodisinfection?

Photodisinfection (PDF) is a technology that is currently used in some hospitals before surgery to lower the risk of infection after surgery. PDF uses light waves and a gel/liquid photosensitizer. A photosensitizer is a molecule that disrupts other molecules, to kill bacteria and viruses.

Who can participate in the study?

You may be eligible to participate if you have recently tested positive for COVID-19.

What’s involved in the study?

During your study visit:

• Swabs will be taken of the inside and front part of your nose.
• The photodisinfection light therapy will be applied.
• Repeat swabs will be taken of the inside and front part of your nose.

If you are interested in learning more, please contact Orthopedics Research at:

Phone: 416-480-4285
Email: orthores@sunnybrook.ca

CATCO is a multi-centre, adaptive, randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trial conducted to learn about the safety and efficacy of various therapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients. CATCO is conducted in conjunction with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) SOLIDARITY Trial PLUS, in collaboration with countries around the world.

The overall objective of the study is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the study drugs, relative to the control arm (standard of care), in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

National principal investigator: Dr. Srinivas Murthy, University of British Columbia

Provincial (Ontario) and Sunnybrook Hospital principal investigator: Dr. Rob Fowler

You may be eligible to participate if you:

• Are 18 years of age or older
• Have a laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infection
• Are hospitalized at a participating study site
• It is your first hospital admission for acute COVID-19

Participants will:

• Be randomized to one of the treatment groups, while hospitalized
• Have blood work collected during the study
• Be followed-up with periodically for 6 months; some follow-ups may occur over the phone after you are discharged from hospital

If you are admitted to Sunnybrook Hospital and interested in participating in this trial or want to learn more information, please talk to your doctor at Sunnybrook Hospital about the CATCO trial.

What’s the purpose of these linked studies?

• These studies aim to determine whether the administration of intravenous vitamin C in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 improves their health status. Intravenous vitamin C may improve the complications of inflammation and dysfunction of small blood vessels in patients with COVID-19.

Who can participate in the studies?

• Patients ≥18 years old with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and who are admitted to hospital (ward or ICU). Participants must be enrolled in the first 24 hours of ICU admission, if on medications to raise blood pressure, to be eligible for LOVIT. Patients not on medications to raise their blood pressure but who are receiving non-invasive or invasive ventilation must be enrolled within 24 hours of starting ventilation. Patients on the medical ward are also eligible.

What’s involved in the studies?

Participants who meet all eligibility criteria will receive either:

1. Experimental treatment: IV vitamin C 50 mg/kg every 6 hours for 96 hours, or
2. Control treatment: IV placebo 50 mg/kg every 6 hours for 96 hours

Study urine and blood sample collection is coordinated with clinical care on study days 1, 3, and 7. Participants will also receive standard treatments as delivered by their healthcare team.

For more information, contact:

Principal Investigator Dr. Neill Adhikari, Department of Critical Care Medicine

Telephone: 416-480-4522 or contact the Critical Care Research Office at 416-480-6100 ext. 61719

What is REMAP-CAP?

A ‘Platform Trial’ that studies several different treatments at the same time, and assigns participants to treatment arms using a process called “response-adaptive randomization.” To participate in the trial, patients must agree to be randomized to at least one of these treatment arms.

You may be eligible to participate if:

• You are an adult patient admitted to hospital with acute illness due to suspected or proven pandemic infection
• No more than 14 days have elapsed while admitted to hospital with symptoms of an acute illness due to suspected or proven pandemic infection

Participants will be randomized to specific domains:

• Antibiotic domain that evaluates commonly used antibiotics for severe pneumonia and COVID
• Antiviral domain that evaluates 5-day compared to 10-days treatments for patients with confirmed influenza and COVID
• Anticoagulation domain that evaluates two different doses of blood thinners to prevent blood clots for patients with COVID

Follow up:

• You be will followed daily while in hospital for up to 28 days. Follow-ups also occur on day 90 and day 180.

For more information, contact:

Critical Care Research team
Telephone: 416-480-6100 ext. 85426/1719 or pagers 7945/6873

Dr. Robert Fowler (Principal Investigator)
Telephone: 416-480-6100 ext: 7471, pager: 8609

Visit the clinicaltrials,gov for more information

SAVE-ICU is a multi-centre, randomized clinical trial studying the effectiveness of inhaled volatile sedation versus intravenous sedation for COVID-19 patients that need to be placed on a ventilator.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether inhaled volatile sedation can be used effectively in ventilated COVID-19 patients, thereby easing pressure on IV sedation stocks. The study is also evaluating if patients recover faster with this form of sedation.

You may be eligible to participate if you:

• Are 18 years of age or older
• Mechanically ventilated with proven or suspected COVID-19 disease or suffering from hypoxic lung failure

Participants will:

• Be randomized to one of the treatment groups, while hospitalized
• Receive intravenous or inhaled sedation, administered according to standard sedation practice
• Be followed-up with throughout their ICU stay and up to one year after

If you or a family member are admitted to Sunnybrook Hospital and interested in participating in this trial or want to learn more information, please talk to your doctor about the SAVE-ICU trial or email SAVE-ICU@sunnybrook.ca.

Visit the clinicaltrials,gov for more information