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Vanda Pharmaceuticals Announces Initiation of "CALYPSO" to Study the Role of Genetic Variation in COVID-19 Infections in Collaboration With University of Washington Medicine
WASHINGTON, April 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Vanda) (Nasdaq: VNDA) today announced the initiation of the CALYPSO program to study
About this update from Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"WASHINGTON, April 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Vanda) (Nasdaq: VNDA) today announced the initiation of the CALYPSO program to study the role that human genetic variations play in SARS-CoV-2 (\"COVID-19\") infection and disease progression. As a part of the CALYPSO program, Vanda will collaborate with University of Washington School of Medicine and its Virology Lab on a pharmacogenetics study in patients with COVID-19. The study will focus on the sequencing of the genome of individual patients, as well as the COVID-19 virus, and the identification of genetic factors that correlate with disease progression and outcomes. \nIn support of this study, Vanda and UW Medicine plan to collect Whole-Genome Sequencing (\"WGS\") data from over 1,000 patients with COVID-19 infection, and perform Viral Genome Sequencing, which should enable Vanda and the UW Medicine Virology Lab to explore host susceptibility, associations of WGS with clinical outcomes and severity of disease, as well as host-virus interactions. The study is scheduled to begin enrollment in the coming weeks and will be open to patients in hospitals and clinics around the United States.\n\"We look forward to the advancement of our program and the opportunity to work with and leverage the expertise of UW Medicine to expand our understanding of the COVID-19 infection mechanism,\" said Mihael H. Polymeropoulos, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Vanda.\n\"The study has the potential to provide new insights into virus–host interactions that could lead to more effective public health strategies and the design and development of vaccines and therapeutics,\" said Sandra P. Smieszek, Ph.D., Head of Genetics at Vanda. \"With the vast amount of data we expect to collect, the team will aim to discern the factors associated with severity and other critical, clinical characteristics of the infected individuals.\"\n\"By leveraging our sequencing expertise and capabilities in collaboration with Vanda, we will be able to provide the necessary insight for potentially life-saving solutions for patients,\" said Alex Greninger M.D., Ph.D., M.S., M.Phil., Assistant Professor, Laboratory Medicine, Assistant Director, Virology Division at the University of Washington School of Medicine. \"We believe this collaboration will help answer critical questions and hopeful...