Over a century of experience in research on infectious diseases, maximum security laboratories and a network of partners all over the world, from Asia to Africa and South America, able to mobilize at the first sign of crisis: this is the Pandemic Institute, the research center aimed at countering future pandemics.
Born in Great Britain, it aims to be the international heart of surveillance on future threats to global health.
It made its debut not even 15 days after the inauguration, in Berlin, of the World Health Organization (WHO) center for the prevention of pandemics.
The appeal launched several times by the world of research, which urged us to join forces and keep our guard up to prevent the arrival of new pandemics, begins to give the first results. In fact, surveillance and timely action are the two pillars for an effective fight against emerging infections, in a logic that is based on the coordination of different skills, from animal health to virology, from epidemiology and tropical medicine to public health strategies. and genetic sequencing. “Ours is the first end-to-end response to the pandemic,” writes the new institute on its website, underlining the set of skills thanks to which it is able to manage all the necessary steps in countering a pandemic threat.
"The Pandemic Institute has the potential to help revolutionize the way the world responds to pandemics," notes the director of the new institute, epidemiologist Matthew Baylis.
"In a unique way, it will adopt a holistic vision, from looking at future threats - he added - to the response of communities and the health system, as well as treatments such as medicines and vaccines".
The Institute was born in the Liverpool area, which quickly became the symbol of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in the country following the test campaign conducted on the entire population and aimed at eliminating infections.
Liverpool also focuses on important expertise in the fields of veterinary medicine and tropical medicine, public health and genetic sequencing.
There are six research centers and universities that make it up, from the University of Liverpool to the School of Tropical Medicine in the same city, and the initial funding was ten million pounds from the antigen testing company Innova Medical Group .