1 August 2024 – Geneva — The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have jointly called for an intensified global research effort to prepare for the next pandemic. This announcement was made during the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
CEPI and WHO stressed the need to expand research to cover entire families of pathogens that can infect humans, not just those currently seen as high-risk for pandemics. This comprehensive approach, centered on the concept of “prototype pathogens,” aims to develop foundational knowledge that can be quickly adapted to emerging threats. This strategy is designed to enhance surveillance, understand pathogen transmission and infection mechanisms, and study immune responses more efficiently.
The new approach was compared to widening the beam of a streetlight to illuminate areas of a street where potential dangers might lurk. In this analogy, known pathogens with pandemic potential are the well-lit areas, while less understood pathogens and regions, particularly resource-poor areas with high biodiversity, remain in the shadows. The new research strategy aims to expand our understanding and preparedness across these darker areas.
Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, highlighted the importance of this shift, stating, “WHO’s scientific framework for epidemic and pandemic research preparedness is a vital shift in how the world approaches countermeasure development. This framework will steer and coordinate research into entire pathogen families, enhancing our ability to swiftly respond to unforeseen variants, emerging pathogens, zoonotic spillover, and unknown threats referred to as pathogen X.”
The report, which informed this new strategic direction, was developed by over 200 scientists from more than 50 countries. It evaluated 28 virus families and one core group of bacteria, totaling 1652 pathogens, to assess their pandemic potential based on transmission, virulence, and available countermeasures.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the inevitability of future pandemics and the crucial role of science and political resolve in mitigating their impact. To facilitate the global research effort, WHO plans to establish Collaborative Open Research Consortiums (CORCs) for each pathogen family. These CORCs, involving global research institutions and a WHO Collaborating Centre for each family, aim to foster greater research collaboration and ensure equitable participation, especially from regions most at risk.
