Mechanisms of Severe Acute Influenza Consortium (MOSAIC)
Mechanisms of Severe Acute Influenza Consortium (MOSAIC)
The ultimate goal of this collaborative, intensive study is to discover new and effective
 treatments and to develop better vaccines that can be used in future outbreaks of Influenza
 A. By integrating the information that we will gather, we will create a unique overview of
 how influenza causes illness and what might be done to improve patient management.
Influenza A is one of the best studied viruses, but continues to have a very large impact on
 human and animal health. In addition to causing outbreaks of winter flu, it sometimes mutates
 to create a new virus that spreads quickly around the world. It is puzzling that the same
 virus appears to cause minor or absent symptoms in some people while killing others. Much
 remains to be understood.

 The investigators have assembled an unprecedented group of internationally renowned
 scientists from England and Scotland who will together focus on studying a few hundred people
 hospitalised during the current swine flu pandemic. Such a large scale project has never
 before been attempted, but we are now poised to work together and integrate the many recent
 advances in biomedical science that relate to understanding how influenza causes disease.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Any patient admitted to hospital with suspected or confirmed influenza infection

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Patients who do not give their consent