In a world-first move, the UK Government is set to launch a new partnership that will see a real-time surveillance system created to predict future pandemics.
The public-private partnership includes a variety of organisations, including:
- Genomics England
- UK Biobank
- NHS England
- Oxford Nanopore
The latter is a world-leading life sciences company – with its HQ in the UK – that uses long read sequencing technology to analyse genes and pathogens to rapidly diagnose cancers as well as rare and infectious diseases.
Early warning system
In the infectious disease space, the organisation’s technology will be used to develop an early warning system for future pandemics and potential biological threats, ultimately protecting public health.
This will come as part of an extension to NHSE’s Respiratory Metagenomics Programme, which is being led by Guy’s and St Thomas’.
This will allow for outbreaks of bacterial and viral diseases to be monitored alongside antimicrobial resistance.
The initial pilot at St Thomas’ Hospital will now be followed up with an expansion to 10-30 NHS sites to tackle the time lag between the emergence of new pathogens to patient treatment and prevention efforts being taken.
The UK Health Security Agency will be fed the data captured by Oxford Nanopore, enabling its experts to detect and act on emerging infectious diseases.
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail
UKHSA’s chief medical advisor, Professor Susan Hopkins, described early detection as absolutely crucial for effective pathogen responses.
“During the Covid pandemic, we saw the power of the UK life sciences sector very clearly, from the Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine that saved so many lives, through to operating one of the world’s most effective Covid surveillance systems, which spotted several emerging variants of the disease,” said the technology secretary, Peter Kyle.
“This partnership will build on that expertise to monitor emerging diseases as they arise, putting our scientists and decision-makers one-step ahead and providing the information they need to make informed decisions.”
The health secretary, Wes Streeting, added: “If we fail to prepare, we should prepare to fail. Our NHS was already on its knees when the pandemic struck, and it was hit harder than any other comparable healthcare system.
“We cannot let history repeat itself. That’s why this historic partnership with Oxford Nanopore will ensure our world-leading scientists have the latest information on emerging threats at their fingertips.”
Professor Ian Abbs, GSTT’s CEO, commented: “We’ve been working on the respiratory metagenomics programme for over 4 years and have clearly seen the benefit to our patients.
“It’s a momentous day now that we can ensure other hospitals, and more patients, can also benefit from faster and more accurate treatment for severe respiratory conditions thanks to new genomic technology.”
Image credit: iStock
