The National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) has been established by the National Institutes of Health with funding from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).  The project will create a platform to collect clinical, laboratory and diagnostic data from healthcare providers and organizations including state and regional laboratories and major hospitals.  This data will be entered into a comprehensive database and will available for researchers and healthcare providers undertaking research on COVID-19.

Dr. Christopher P. Austin leader of the project stated, “NCATS initially supported the development of this innovative collaborative technology platform to speed the process of understanding the course of diseases, and identifying interventions to effectively treat them,” He added, “This platform was deployed to support this important COVID-19 effort in a matter of weeks, and we anticipate that it will serve as the foundation for addressing future public health emergencies.”

NCATS serves as the steward of data and is obviously applying maximum levels of security to maintain privacy. The database will be certified through the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program.

Currently 35 collaborating sites will submit data on patients and individuals tested for COVID-19.  The database will harmonize how data is entered and stored to permit direct comparisons and analyses.

Data will include demographics, symptoms, medications, laboratory results and outcomes extending over the proximal five years. Sister divisions will support the NCATS initiative including the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.