Many of our scientists have set aside their research programmes to focus on finding answers to fundamental questions about SARS-CoV-2, from why it’s deadly in some people but causes no symptoms in others, to how it affects people who are living with cancer. We are also studying how the virus is evolving and the effects of emerging variants.
This work is guiding the development of new tests, vaccines, treatments and clinical strategies to help bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control.
Scientific research will ultimately lead us out of this crisis. With our focus on scientific excellence and with multidisciplinary collaboration at our core, here at the Crick we’re ideally placed to drive progress in tackling diseases like COVID-19.
By donating to the Crick, you will ensure we have the necessary resources and agility to respond to the areas of greatest need as we protect our research programmes and tackle the spread of COVID-19. All donations, no matter what size, will enable us to continue this vital work.
Help us combat COVID-19 and protect our vital research programmes.
Whether you’re an individual or organisation, our dedicated team can help you decide how you can best support the Crick.
Interested in collaborating with the Crick? Contact Rebecca Wilson, Head of Strategic Partnerships, to discuss how we can work together.
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We have partnered with UCLH to deliver a large-scale coronavirus vaccination centre at the Crick in our public gallery space. We also rapidly repurposed our lab space at the start of the pandemic, to set up a coronavirus testing facility in a matter of weeks. Our testing service helps ten local hospitals and 150 care homes to remain open and safe for staff and patients. It has also allowed us to safely continue vital research.
Crick group leader Adrian Hayday is leading a team from the Crick, King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas's Hospital. The multidisciplinary team are studying how patients' immune systems respond to the virus to understand why some people show no symptoms, while others have to be hospitalised and require critical care.
Clinical group leader Samra Turajlic is working with Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust to determine the impact of the pandemic on cancer patients, including how vaccination may affect people with cancer.
David LV Bauer, Rupert Beale, and Kate Bishop are co-project leads, as part of a national research project, to study the effects of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Paul Bates has joined forces with supercomputing firm Hadean to contribute to their mathematical models of virus transmission, tracking how viruses move within and between cities.
Steve Gamblin's group are using cryo-electron microscopy to study a structure on the surface of the virus, answering questions about how the virus interacts with our cells and how it made the leap from animals to humans. Steve’s work contributed critical understanding about the biology of the H1N1 virus strain that caused the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.
Sir Paul Nurse
We wanted to use our facilities and expertise to help, and we are proud to be able to support NHS staff on the front line who are battling this virus.
