The NUM platform for immunity research, COVIM (COllaboratiVe IMmunity Platform of the NUM), is a nationwide network of leading scientists from the fields of immunology, virology, clinical infectious diseases and data science. COVIM’s aim is to provide precise, standardised and scalable immunological analyses for clinical research. In doing so, the platform supports large multicentre studies as well as the development and clinical trialling of innovative immunotherapeutic strategies, and lays the foundation for pioneering diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Even during the first funding period, COVIM was able, through close networking and cooperation, to gain important insights into SARS-CoV-2 immunity within a short space of time and make these available internationally. At the same time, fundamental structures were established for the joint collection, analysis and clinical use of immunological data. During the second funding period, the focus was on the development of standardised immunological assays and the further development of immunotherapeutic approaches for sustainable pandemic preparedness.
The now-established Research Infrastructure builds on this groundwork and further develops COVIM from an infection-focused initiative into an interdisciplinary immunity platform within the NUM. It integrates relevant medical and scientific disciplines and, through innovative data utilisation, promotes both metrological developments and AI-supported analytical methods. At the outset, COVIM comprises 11 core partners, 10 of which are laboratories. From the second year of funding onwards, an expansion to a total of 24 laboratories, as well as the central ImmunoHub, is planned.
Specific immune responses and the analysis of immune mechanisms now play a central role in almost all areas of modern university medicine. These include, in particular, infectious diseases, (immuno)oncology, autoimmune and inflammatory medicine (e.g. rheumatology, gastroenterology, neurology, dermatology), as well as transplant medicine and modern gene and cell therapy. At the same time, standardised and validated methods for many complex immune analyses are still lacking. This is precisely where COVIM comes in: the aim is the long-term establishment of a Germany-wide platform for high-resolution, high-throughput immunological analyses that will provide sustainable support for clinical research, diagnostics and the development of therapies.