Specialty Network Infectious Diseases

Vision and Aim

The Specialty Network Infectious Diseases pursues the overarching goal of systematically strengthening clinical research in infectious diseases in Germany and increasing its international competitiveness.

The aim is to increase the proportion of patients participating in studies, provide high-quality data and biosamples for research and sustainably improve medical care for patients through innovative treatment options. The following priorities are particularly emphasised:

• International collaboration: Active participation in international infection research and involvement in global networks and platform studies in order to increase the visibility of Germany as a study location and strengthen its representation at international meetings and conferences.

• Optimisation of study processes for efficient patient recruitment: standardisation and automation of study-related processes, including the digital infrastructure, in order to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and speed up recruitment. In addition, the aim is to establish and evaluate structures that ensure the sustainable organisation of the specialty network.

• Rapid response capability and pandemic preparedness: Establishment of flexible structures for the rapid identification of suitable patients according to defined inclusion and exclusion criteria and for adapting to new scientific issues and health crisis. This also includes the efficient management of an anonymous prescreening log for infections treated at the sites in order to be able to react quickly to changing challenges.

Mission

The Specialty Network Infectious Diseases supports clinical and clinical-epidemiological studies in the field of infectious diseases and aims to help strengthen the research landscape in Germany in the long term. It is the first specialty network in the NUM Study Network and builds on the established structures of the National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON) and the NUM Clinical Epidemiology and Study Platform (NUKLEUS).

Through close cooperation with university institutions, research networks and scientists, study-relevant processes in infectious disease research will be further standardised and automated.

Centralised platforms for automated feasibility analysis and patient screening are being expanded with an extended portfolio of typical queries in the field of infections. The aim is to implement studies faster and more effectively and to provide high-quality data and biosamples for research projects. This should create a scientific basis for decision-making in medical care and enable new therapeutic approaches.

Modules

The Specialty Network Infectious Diseases is focussing on baseline recruitment as part of a non-interventional umbrella master study protocol that bundles various infection areas under a unified study design. The baseline cohort follows a broad recruitment strategy across five modules:

• Bloodstream Infections
• Emerging Infections
• Respiratory Infections
• Gastrointestinal Infections
• CNS-Infections

In addition, cross-sectional areas on infections in immunocompromised patients and infections in emergency and intensive care medicine are integrated. The targeted and dynamic prioritisation of certain pathogens and clinical pictures from these areas can be carried out as required by a decision of the responsible steering committee of the Specialty Network Infectious Diseases.

Participating Study Sites

• Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
• Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus Dresden
• Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt
• Universitätsklinikum Freiburg
• Uniklinikum Gießen
• Universitätsmedizin Greifswald
• Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
• Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
• Uniklinik Köln
• Universitätsklinikum Leipzig
• Universitätsmedizin Magdeburg
• Universitätsmedizin Oldenburg
• Universitätsklinikum Regensburg
• Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein
• Universitätsklinikum Würzburg