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  1. Ethical Science News

  2. Jan 28, 2021

Nationwide Autopsy Registry to Accelerate COVID-19 Research

Study in a Sentence: Germany established and launched DeRegCOVID, the first national registry of COVID‐19 autopsies, which are an essential tool for the understanding of infectious diseases and are helping harmonize and accelerate research on COVID‐19.

Healthy for Humans: The registry aims to gather data on all COVID-19 autopsies in Germany to learn more about the disease pathogenesis and progression, as well as about the impacts of preexisting conditions. Learning more about the pathophysiology and progression of COVID-19 can improve treatment for patients and provide insight on future drug development. 

Redefining Research: The registry serves as a central hub for data analyses and is being used for national and international research inquiries and to inform the Federal Ministry of Health, professional societies, and the public. The close interaction between clinicians, pathologists, and other researchers is essential for the accurate assessment of the findings obtained during autopsies and the modification of diagnostics and therapy in the future. DeRegCOVID is an example of how to further strengthen research on COVID‐19, potentially inciting and accelerating similar initiatives on an international level.

References

German registry for Covid-19 autopsies. Ukaachen.de. https://www.ukaachen.de/en/clinics-institutes/title-en-65/german-registry-for-covid-19-autopsies/about-the-registry/. Accessed January 26, 2021.

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