CEPI News November 25, 2022 CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, has issued a report detailing how the world could deliver future pandemic-beating vaccines in 100 Days. COVID-19 vaccines were developed in record time: it took just 326 days from release of the virus’ genetic sequence to get to the authorisation of a safe and effective vaccine. The report, published today, outlines the paradigm shift needed to speed up vaccine development even more, highlighting the crucial scientific and technological innovations that will enable us to develop new vaccines against future pandemic threats in a little more than three months. […]
Tag Archives: Epidemiology
Automated next generation sequencing platform can accurately screen thousands for COVID-19
EurekAlert March 3, 2021 Researchers in Canada have developed a multiplexed, scalable, readily automated platform “Systematic Parallel Analysis of RNA coupled to Sequencing for Covid-19 screening” (C19-SPAR-Seq), for SARS-CoV-2 detection that can analyze tens of thousands of patient samples in a single run. To address strict requirements for control of assay parameters and output demanded by clinical diagnostics, they employed a control-based Precision-Recall and Receiver Operator Characteristics (coPR) analysis to assign run-specific quality control metrics. C19-SPAR-Seq coupled to coPR on a trial cohort of several hundred patients performed with a specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 91% on samples with […]
Why We Need a Universal Flu Vaccine
Forbes March 21, 2018 The virus’s continual evolution is why we keep crafting new cocktails for it. If it evolves aggressively enough, we’re almost certain to have another pandemic. According to experts the pandemic clock is ticking. Researchers are tracking one strain in China right now. It has a 40% fatality rate. The World Bank estimates that a pandemic would cost 4.8% of GDP today, or about $3 trillion. Medicine shortages and travel interruptions for medical professionals would lead to a slow recovery period. This is an all-hands-on-deck time. Not just for flu experts but for people in disciplines far […]