Researchers Race to Develop Early Warning Systems for Future Outbreaks

One such initiative began with the tracking of virus variations via genetic surveys in the United Kingdom. Scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridgeshire, UK, have set out to create a groundbreaking technology that could possibly track genetic changes in microbes as they circulate around worldwide, using the knowledge and data that allowed them to quickly and accurately track SARS-CoV-2.

The researchers hope to establish early warning systems for future pandemics using the new and enhanced DNA sequencing and analysis platforms, which will not only spot harmful viruses as they emerge, but will also speed up vaccine and medication development.

The Respiratory Virus and Microbiome Initiative intends to develop a breakthrough approach that will allow them to sequence and identify all viral, bacterial, and fungal species and variations infecting a patient using a single nose swab sample!

This technology would cover known influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), coronaviruses, and other previously unknown infections as they occur among patients around the world as a round-the-clock genomic monitoring system capable of anticipating outbreaks.

A system like this would provide global surveillance of a wide spectrum of dangers by studying their evolution and interactions with other microorganisms in the human respiratory tract before they became a threat to huge populations.

Simultaneously, the team intends to deploy this technology in a way that makes such sequencing and tracking devices economical, simple to use, and scalable for laboratories globally.

"What is critical is that we develop a system that uses low-cost reagents, does not require teams of highly trained technicians, and can be used at scale." Then we can truly make a difference," said Ewan Harrison, project leader at the Sanger Institute.

According to The Guardian, research institutions in the United States and Germany are expanding genetic surveys to include many additional new infections as part of similar initiatives, with the goal of preventing microbial dangers.