TESICO (Therapeutics for Severely Ill Inpatients with COVID-19) is a master protocol to evaluate the safety and efficacy of investigational agents aimed at improving outcomes for patients with acute respiratory failure related to COVID-19.

COVID-19 testing involves collection of swabs from nasopharyngeal cavities where the SARS-CoV-2 virus replicates. Many other commensal and pathogenic microbes may be found in the same host niche. Collectively, these microbes are called the microbiome. We hypothesize that the colonizing microbiome at the time of diagnosis may provide leads for early stratification of cases into risk categories, future clinical manifestations of the disease, and insights into treatment strategies.

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is developing a COVID-19 biorepository which will contain blood, urine, and other bodily fluids along with relevant medical information from individuals evaluated, exposed to, or treated for COVID-19. To learn from this pandemic ,and to develop treatments and strategies to better prepare and avert future pandemics we must study the disease and its effects. The clinical specimens in the biorepository will be available for investigators to use for future research. Compensation is provided for participation in this project for eligible participants.