Position:
Consultant in Infectious Diseases & Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer
Research Interests:
COVID-19
Travel Medicine
Tropical Medicine
Projects/Grants
ISARIC4C – Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium
RECOVERY – International clinical trial aiming to identify treatments that may be beneficial for adults hospitalised with confirmed COVID-19.
DEFINE – Phase 2 interventional trial is looking at various drug treatments in the treatment of COVID-19
HEAL-COVID – clinical trial to compare different treatments to determine whether they can improve the longer-term outcomes for patients who have been hospitalised due to COVID-19
Background:
After graduating from the University of Witten / Herdecke Medical School (Germany) in 1999 Dr Oliver Koch undertook research focussed on genetic susceptibility to malaria and malaria parasite genetics at the University of Oxford. He completed his clinical training in Nottingham, London and Oxford with periods overseas in Thailand and Cambodia as part of a clinical lectureship. Since 2013 he has worked as a clinical consultant in Infectious Diseases for NHS Lothian. He has a particular interest in tuberculosis, travel & tropical medicine. He is the clinical lead for high consequence infectious diseases and travel medicine for the Regional Infectious Diseases Unit, Edinburgh.
Publications:
2023
An Inhaled Galectin-3 Inhibitor in COVID-19 Pneumonitis (DEFINE): A Phase Ib/IIa Randomised Controlled Trial. Gaughan EE., Quinn TM., Mills A., Bruce AM., Antonelli J., MacKinnon A., Alanis V., Li F., O’Connor R., Boz C., Mills R., Emanuel P., Burgess M., Rinaldi G., Valanciute A., Mills B., Scholefield E., Hardisty G., Gwyer Findlay E., Parker RA., Norrie J., Dear JW., Akram AR., Koch O., et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 207(2):138-149. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202203-0477OC.
2022
Performance status: A key factor in predicting mortality in the first wave of COVID-19 in South-East Scotland. Mutch CP., Ross DA., Bularga A., Cave RNR., Chase-Topping ME., Anand A., Mills NL., Koch O., Mackintosh CL., Perry MR.; DataLocj COVID-19 Collaborative. J R Coll Physicians Edinb. 52(3):204-212. doi: 10.1177/14782715221120137.
Randomised controlled trial of intravenous nafamostat mesylate in COVID pneumonitis: Phase 1b/2a experimental study to investigate safety, Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics. Quinn TM., Gaughan EE., Bruce A., Antonelli J., O’Connor R., Li F., McNamara S., Koch O., et al. Ebiomedicine 76:103856.
2021
Diagnostic performance of the combined nasal and throat swab in patients admitted to hospital with suspected COVID-19. Lee K.K., Doudesis D., Ross D.A., Bularga A… Koch O… Mills N.L. Bmc Infect Dis 21, 318. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-021-05976-1
2020
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Community Testing Team in Scotland: A 14-day review, 6 to 20 February 2020. Mark, K., Steel, K., Stevenson, J., Evans, C., McCormick, D., Willocks, L., McCallum, A., Jones, L., Johannessen, I., Templeton, K., Koch, O., Mackintosh, C. European Communicable Disease Bulletin, 2020, 25(12). http://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.12.2000217
Two cases of imported respiratory diphtheria in Edinburgh, Scotland, October 2019. Li, L., Ross, D., Hill, K., Clifford, S.,… Koch, O., …Stevenson, J. Epidemiology and Infection, 2020, 1-11. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268820001028
The index case of SARS-CoV-2 in Scotland. Hill, K. J., Russell, C. D., Clifford, S., Templeton, K., …Koch, O., …Sutherland, R. K. The Journal of Infection. 2020. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2020.03.022
Interferon-gamma polymorphisms and risk of iron deficiency and anaemia in Gambian children. Abuga, K. M., Rockett, K. A., Muriuki, J. M., Koch, O., …Atkinson, SH. Wellcome Open Research, 2020. 5, 40. http://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15750.1
Case report: meningitis as a presenting feature of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. Stavrou, M., Yeo, J. M., Slater, A. D., Koch, O., Irani, S., & Foley, P. BMC Infectious Diseases, 2020. (1), 21–4. http://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-020-4761-1
Drive-through testing in COVID-19: experience from NHS Lothian. Hill, K., Campbell, R., Mutch, C., Koch, O., & Mackintosh, C. Clinical Medicine (London, England), 20(3), 290–291. http://doi.org/10.7861/clinmed.2020-0160
2019
Successful reintroduction of tumour necrosis factor-alpha inhibition after treatment of disseminated Lyme borreliosis. Bulteel, N. S., Russell, C. D., Perry, M. R., & Koch, O. The Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 2019. 49(2), 122–124. http://doi.org/10.4997/JRCPE.2019.207
2016
Diagnosis and features of hospital-acquired pneumonia: a retrospective cohort study. Russell, C. D., Koch, O., Laurenson, I. F., O’Shea, D. T., Sutherland, R., & Mackintosh, C. L. Journal of Hospital Infection, 2016. 92(3),273–279.
Staphylococcus caprae native mitral valve infective endocarditis. Kwok TC, Poyner J, Olson E, Henriksen P, Koch O. JMM Case Rep, 2016. 3(5):e005065. Doi 10.1099/jmmcr.0.005065
2015
Rapidly growing mycobacteria as emerging pathogens in bloodstream and device-related infection: a case of pacemaker infection with Mycobacterium neoaurum. Hayton E-J R, Koch O, Scarborough M, Sabharwal N, Drobniewski F, Bowler ICJW. Journal of Medical Microbiology Case Reports. 2015. 2(3). http://doi.org/doi:10.1099/jmmcr.0.000054
2013
Multiple populations of artemisinin‐resistant Plasmodium falciparum in Cambodia. Miotto O, Almagro‐Garcia J, Manske M, MacInnis B… Koch, O., …Kwiatkowski DP. Nat Genet. 2013. Jun;45(6):648-55.
2012
Using CF11 cellulose columns to inexpensively and effectively remove human DNA from Plasmodium falciparum-infected whole blood samples. Venkatesan M, Amaratunga C, Campino S, Auburn S, …Koch, O., …Plowe CV. Malaria Journal. 2012. 11:41.
2008
Does using self-completed sexual history questionnaires in HIV-positive men who have sex with men affect clinical outcomes? Koch O, De Silva S, Edwards S, Peake T, …Benn P. International Journal of STD & AIDS. 2008. 19(3): 203-205.
2006
Implications of inter-population linkage disequilibrium patterns on the approach to a disease association study in the human MHC class III. Hanchard N, Diakite M, Koch O, Keating B, …Rockett K. Immunogenetics. 2006. 58(5-6): 465-70.
Context-specific functional effects of IFNGR1 promoter polymorphism. Koch O, Kwiatkowski D and Udalova I. Human Molecular Genetics, 2006. 15(9):1475-1481.
An investigation of transmission ratio distortion in the central region of the human MHC. Hanchard N, Rockett K, Udalova I, Wilson J, … Koch, O., …Kwiatkowski D. Genes Immun. 2006. Jan;7(1):51-8.
2005
Investigation of malaria susceptibility determinants in the IFNG/IL26/IL22 genomic region. Koch O, Rockett K, Jallow M, Pinder M, Sisay-Joof F, Kwiatkowski D. Genes Immun. 2005 Jun;6(4):312-8.
Risk of trachomatous scarring and trichiasis in Gambians varies with SNP haplotypes at the interferon-gamma and interleukin-10 loci. Natividad A, Wilson J, Koch O, Holland MJ, …Bailey RL. Genes Immun. 2005 Jun;6(4):332-40.
2004
No association between interferon-gamma receptor-1 gene polymorphism and pulmonary tuberculosis in a Gambian population sample. Awomoyi A, Nejentsev S, Richardson A, Hull J, Koch O,…Newport MJ. Thorax. 2004. 59:291-294.
2001
IFNGR1 Gene Promoter Polymorphisms and Susceptibility to Cerebral Malaria. Koch O, Awomoyi A., Usen S, Muminatou J,…Kwiatkowski D Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2001. 185:1684-7.
Research Outputs as Part of the ISARIC4c Consortium: https://isaric4c.net/outputs/
Research Outputs as Part of the RECOVERY Collaborative Group: https://www.recoverytrial.net/results
