WHO BioHub Initiative:
The World Health Organization (WHO) and Switzerland have launched a BioHub facility that will allow pathogens sharing between laboratories and facilitate “analysis and preparedness” against them.
- The facility will help in the safe reception, sequencing, storage and preparation of biological materials for distribution to other laboratories, so as to facilitate global preparedness against these pathogens.
- It will enable member states to share biological materials with and via the BioHub under pre-agreed conditions, including biosafety, biosecurity, and other applicable regulations.
- In parallel, WHO will broaden its BioHub System for the use of biological materials by qualified entities – such as manufacturers – for the development of medical by-products for fair allocation to countries.
- The Covid-19 pandemic and other outbreaks and epidemics have underscored the importance of rapidly sharing pathogens to help the global scientific community assess the risk and develop countermeasures such as diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines.
- Pathogens have been shared bilaterally between countries: A process that can be sluggish and deny the benefits to some.
- This will ensure the timely sharing of epidemiological and clinical data as well as biological materials.
- The move will help contribute to the establishment of an international exchange system for novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging pathogens
