The corona pandemic has dominated the research world like no other topic in the last two years. Genome research plays a big part in SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 research. From sequencing the virus to understanding its biology and pathology, to vaccine development and variant tracking, analysing the viral genome was and remains a key technology in this pandemic. Additionally, multi-omics analysis of human samples provide important information around SARS-CoV-2 infections and the disease-related aspects of COVID-19. From defining individual genetic disposition, to detailed analysis of immune cell changes during SARS-CoV-2 infections, human omics data is crucial in trying to understand what happens in the different tissues during COVID-19 and finding explanations for differing disease courses and severity.  

Assisting the German research community around SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, GHGA partners with the Deutsche COVID-19 OMICS Initiative (DeCOI). DeCOI is a national network based on the DFG-funded network of NGS competence centres and formed to support and develop the use of NGS-based omics data in COVID-19 research as well as help manage the produced data.