Wessex Infection Network for Genomics

Who We Are

Our members include a diverse range of clinical and non-clinical experts, academics and patient representatives, all dedicated to advancing genomic technologies and improving patient outcomes

Our members are from Wessex academic and healthcare institutions including University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS), Southampton Biomedical Reserch Centre, University of Southampton, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trust, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and supported by NHS Central and South Genomics. 

Our Aims and Objectives

Our primary aim is to expand the respiratory metagenomics service following establishing a real-time pilot service capability at UHS and other national sites. We strive to:

• Share experiences and challenges to facilitate collaboration, shared learning and innovation across the Wessex region and beyond
• Support research and innovation by leveraging others' experiences
• Seek opportunities for grants to maximise knowledge output
• Collaborate with other UK sites on respiratory metagenomics and related work packages
• Expand the service to other infection areas based on local and national needs
• Apply for funding for necessary research and development

Our Activities

WING is actively involved in various activities including

• Implementing the respiratory metagenomics service expansion
• Providing a forum for sharing experiences and challenges
• Supporting research and innovation through collaboration and grant applications
• Developing and monitoring milestones for our site
• Expanding the service to other infection areas as needed.

WING Project Grants

Initially focused on information sharing, our group has evolved into a network which actively applies for and secures funding. Below are some of the key projects currently funded:

AI and Sepsis Project

Dr Harjeet Virk (consultant in microbiology and IDs) in Portsmouth was successful in leading a WING project funded by a grant from NIHR Wessex Experimental Medicine Network (NIHR WEMN) to look at clinical data to expand digital methodologies in pathology using artificial intelligence (AI) to better understand sepsis across Wessex.

Detection of Biomarkers for Prediction of Infection Type (DEBIT)

Led by Professor Sam Robson (University of Portsmouth) and Dr Nicholas Norton (University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust), this project has secured a grant from Wessex Health Partners and the Wessex Experimental Medicine Network to investigate host transcriptomics and biofilm metagenomics in prosthetic joint infections compared to prosthetics removed for non-infection related reasons. This project will enable identification of biofilm community members, pathogens, and host gene response signatures that can distinguish between difficult-to-identify infections in prosthetic joints. The research aims to enhance diagnostic accuracy and improve patient outcomes.

Prof Dushianthan A (Dushi) was successful in getting a grant from the Wessex Secure Data Environment (SDE) to study the burden of severe respiratory tract infections in ICUs together with management strategies and their clinical outcomes. 

Dr Paul Scmidt from Portsmouth Hospitals was the lead for another successful SDE grant for the GAP-S study: General ward application of a biomarker-based protocol for early recognition of Sepsis: mind the gap beyond NEWS2.

More recently Dr Nick Norton and Dr Sina Yadollahi (Oncology trainee from UoS) secured another WHP/WEMN Small Grants Scheme to investigate metagenomics in blood samples from specific immunocompromised patients. 

The pre-doctoral fellowship is a significant achievement for the WING group. This fellowship supports early-career researchers in developing their skills and contributing to the field of infectious disease genomics.

Blood Cultures Detection Collaboration

A collaboration project on the detection of blood cultures involves spiking negative cultures and putting them through metagenomics pathways to compare results with standard diagnostic cultures. The aim is to see if they can detect organisms more quickly. A trainee clinical scientist (Hannah Selman) already started this work as part of an MSc Project.

Contact Us

For more information or to get involved, please contact  Dr Kordo Saeed kordo.saeed@uhs.nhs.uk or Professor Samuel Robson samuel.robson@port.ac.uk. We welcome enquiries from all interested parties and look forward to collaborating with you.