Creating a system for early outbreak detection

How is the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition (APDC) working to transform the way we identify, track, analyse and test emerging health threats? What are the coalition’s short- and long-term goals? 

The APDC was created to stop viruses before they stop us. It’s the first-of-its-kind, industry-led network of more than 20 scientific and public health organisations across five different continents focused on identifying, tracking, and responding to known and emerging viral threats to help prevent the next pandemic. 

Think of the coalition like a sophisticated weather-tracking system. We have infectious disease experts with eyes on the ground using tests and technology to monitor how viruses are changing or even if new ones pop up so we can stay one step ahead of the next viral threat. Our goal is to keep building the strength of our tracking system and ensuring that we are getting information into the hands of the people and organisations who can help ensure outbreaks don’t become pandemics.

How can Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) like APDC improve disease surveillance programmes, respond to emerging pathogens, and prevent disease outbreaks?

PPPs like the APDC convene the scientific, industrial, and public health communities to serve as a “frontline” system for detecting emerging and existing viral threats. By connecting these communities, we facilitate the flow of critical information about outbreaks among researchers, local governments, and global health authorities. The Coalition also works with other public health organisations to help create a global network to help detect outbreaks and minimise the impact of potential threats.

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the urgent need for increased investment in health infrastructure. So, how has global health infrastructure evolved since then? Which areas still need attention?

Among the lessons we can take from the COVID pandemic is that managing the diseases we live with every day, such as HIV and hepatitis, improves public health now and builds infrastructure we can tap into should a pandemic threat emerge.

In India, Abbott partners with the Y.R. Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education (YRG CARE) as a member of the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition. YRG CARE is a Chennai-based non-profit organisation in the space of HIV/AIDS, offering prevention and treatment-related services to Indians across the country.  The Coalition and YRGCARE have been working to manage the HIV and hepatitis epidemic in India. Together, we recently inaugurated two new outreach centres in India dedicated to combating HIV and other infectious diseases. Outreach workers in New Delhi visit hotspots that account for new infections to try and provide at-risk individuals with testing and other health services.

The Coalition recently conducted a survey of experts in epidemiology and virology who ranked surveillance programs to identify emerging pathogens, funding for public health infrastructure and a shortage of public health workers as the top three gaps in pandemic preparedness to address – all of which are goals of the Coalition. For example, the Coalition is continuing to build disease surveillance efforts, such as its support for disease surveillance within India’s private healthcare network, which hosts over 60 per cent of the country’s hospital beds. Creating a system that enables public health authorities to spot potential outbreaks in both public and private hospitals will not only help us better understand what public health threats we face today, but also be able to more quickly spot emerging threats.

The Coalition’s recent survey highlights gaps in pandemic preparedness. How can they be mitigated?

When it comes to public health, long-term investment and preparing for immediate response do not necessarily need to be at odds. If you’re doing a good job of managing current outbreaks, you’re simultaneously building the infrastructure you’ll need if we face another pandemic. In addition to our work with YRG Care, our work with the TEPHINET training program from the Task Force for Global Health is a great example. We wanted to help train young epidemiologists, particularly in countries with fewer people in that profession. We worked with TEPHINET to create a fellowship for emerging epidemiologists that provides mentorship and training while fellows work on projects aimed at addressing a current public health need in their country.

 What are the opportunities for industry players to improve pandemic preparedness?

Industry has a vital role in pandemic preparedness, as we saw with COVID. Whether it was vaccine manufacturers, medical equipment suppliers or diagnostic companies like Abbott, industry has a central role in ensuring they are aware of the potential threats that exist and can scale up to meet them when required. That’s where PPPs are also critical. Ensuring the networks that enable information and expertise to be shared is a very important step. Having those lines of communication open before there is a crisis means we will all be more effective if one develops. 

How is this Coalition contributing towards this endeavour?

The Coalition has over 20 members in strategically important locations around the world engaged in active surveillance and research on pathogens every day. The Coalition has identified very early signs of outbreaks thanks to the collaboration among its members. That information is then shared with local health officials, enabling them to work quickly to start deploying countermeasures to contain the outbreak. This kind of collaboration helps improve management of current outbreaks and identify the early signs of emerging threats.

It has become imperative to build rapid response capabilities to healthcare threats. How are the industry and all its stakeholders leveraging technology to identify and respond to emerging pathogens? 

The APDC is an ‘eyes on the ground’ network, and our global surveillance, research, and testing efforts are helping us build a vast network that helps us keep an eye out for the next viral threat. This is especially important to stay one step ahead, including by assessing whether existing tests detect such infections or gathering information that can support quick test development. 

One area we’ve seen advancements in technology is with next-generation sequencing and its ability to revolutionise how viruses are discovered and tracked. Decoding a genome once took years to complete and can now be done in a day or two. The resulting genetic data enables researchers to not only quickly identify the type of pathogen that made someone sick but to compare that specific pathogen’s genetic information to other pathogens like it and determine how it is changing. As a result, we can better predict how an outbreak may change, for example, if a pathogen is becoming more transmissible or is evolving to be more likely to jump from an animal to a human. 

Viral pathogens have emerged as a great threat. How is Abbott addressing the gaps in diagnostics of viral pathogens? Tell us about Abbott’s research and solutions to improve early detection of emerging disease outbreaks.

We conduct viral surveillance and discovery and study a wide range of infectious diseases, from SARS-Cov-2 and its variants, HIV and Hepatitis to new and neglected diseases. We have published 97 research papers and studies including research around the COVID-19 variants, antibody levels after COVID vaccines, the genetic diversity of the Picobirnavirus, and the spread of Hepatitis C in India. For example, during the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic, our partner in South Africa quickly alerted us to the threat of Omicron, which helped us analyse the variant and confirm diagnostic tests could detect it and, in the U.S., Abbott was one of the first to detect the delta variant. 

The key to success is the combination of technology, such as next-generation sequencing, and partnerships that ensure samples get sequenced and that information is shared widely with those who can help mount a response.

Tell us about Abbott’s specific initiatives or partnerships that focus on increasing testing capabilities in underserved areas. 

Our work with the TEPHINET training programme from the Task Force for Global Health is a great example. We wanted to help train young epidemiologists, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. We worked with TEPHINET to create a fellowship for emerging epidemiologists in countries such as India, Bangladesh, Uganda, and a dozen others that provide mentorship and training while fellows work on projects aimed at addressing a current public health need in their country. 

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