Background
As of March 27, 2020, more than 565,000 cases of COVID-19 and 25,000 deaths have been reported worldwide, with more than 92,000 cases and 1,300 deaths in the United States. The severity of illness and course of the infection is heterogenous and appears to be more severe in the elderly and in individuals with underlying comorbidities. To date, SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 disease has not caused significant morbidity in infancy and early childhood, a pattern atypical for most viral respiratory diseases. Genomic studies can help inform efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat viral respiratory diseases.

Research Objectives
A better understanding of the host response, associated disease, and short- and long-term clinical outcomes of individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2. For NHGRI grantees only (including those with a current extension of funds or a no cost extension), we encourage the submission of applications for Competitive Revisions to support genomic research on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 disease. Of particular interest are genomic studies utilizing generalized approaches that take advantage of human research or model systems to study the consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Supported research is expected to guide and inform future efforts to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, or treat this viral infection.

Possible research interests include but are not limited to the following:

• Develop novel methods using genomic techniques to identify signatures of infection, prognosis, and/or severity of disease in a medical setting.
• Development of novel genomic-based tools, kits or reagents to track and monitor SARS-CoV-2 itself and infected individuals.
• Computational approaches to integrate human or animal model genomic data with data from SARS-CoV-2 infection, replication, pathogenesis and transmission to inform models of host-pathogen interactions and predict infection outcomes.
• Development of visualization, curation and analysis platforms for human and animal model genomic data related to SARS-CoV-2 infection, replication, pathogenesis and transmission studies.
• Use of electronic health information, or other relevant clinical, environmental, demographic and social determinants of health data, and accompanying genomic data to aid in tracking and understanding the genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, and the individual susceptibility and resistance to infection and disease severity.
• Studies addressing the ethical, legal and social implications of the use of genetic and genomic information and technologies to diagnose, track, monitor, treat and triage SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 infected patients and populations in clinical and public health settings.

Funds may be used for the collection of samples from human cohorts of individuals with COVID-19 symptoms or evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection or controls, and/or development of novel model systems to expose animals and cells to SARS-CoV-2.

Application and Submission Information

Applications in response to this NOSI must be submitted using one of the following target opportunities or subsequently reissued equivalents.

• PA-18-935 Urgent Competitive Revision to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Urgent Supplement – Clinical Trial Optional) is intended to provide funds for NIH grantees applying to expand the scope of their active grant.
• PA-18-591 Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional) is intended to provide funds for NIH grantees where the work proposed in the supplement is fully within the scope of the ongoing grant.
• The funding instrument, or activity code, will be the same as the parent award.
• All currently active grants, including those in a No Cost Extension or requiring an Extension in Time with Funds, are eligible to apply.