COVID-19 laid bare the high costs of pandemics to human wellbeing and the persistent gaps in our approach to preventing pathogen emergence. Retrospective assessments have identified major continuing vulnerabilities to global pandemic preparedness that can be summarized as 1) lack of or unequal access to necessary infrastructure, 2) insufficient expertise or communication between experts in different fields, and 3) absence of data standards and practices or transdisciplinary workflows. Without addressing these vulnerabilities, we will be unprepared to prevent the next pandemic.
BioARC is a transdisciplinary network of scientists, health professionals, and stakeholders that seeks to build the missing physical, human, and material infrastructure to stop pandemics at their source. We focus on the development of multiple in-country biorepositories spread throughout The Americas, where climate change has driven the emergence and spread of pathogens with pandemic potential (e.g., Zika, Andes Virus) and neglected tropical diseases (e.g., Dengue, Chagas, and hookworm infection).
We innovate the current One Health approach to pandemic preparedness by investing in biorepositories in biodiverse countries. This new infrastructure will provide the critical spatial, temporal, and taxonomic sampling and associated informatics necessary to understand the role of climate drivers in host-pathogen dynamics, enabling a more proactive and predictive approach to pathogen emergence.
We innovate the current One Health approach to pandemic preparedness by investing in biorepositories in biodiverse countries. This new infrastructure will provide the critical spatial, temporal, and taxonomic sampling and associated informatics necessary to understand the role of climate drivers in host-pathogen dynamics, enabling a more proactive and predictive approach to pathogen emergence.