CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations)

An outbreak of H5N1 bird flu among cattle—the first known time the virus has entered these mammals as hosts—is raising questions about whether this influenza virus could spread further. CEPI has pulled together a cross-departmental group of its experts–including epidemiologists, vaccine R&D specialists, regulatory, preclinical and clinical testing, and manufacturing experts–to monitor the outbreak and initiate pre-emptive steps that could put the world ahead of H5N1 if it were to pose a greater human threat. As a ‘no-regrets’ organisation, “CEPI’s approach for the moment is one of calm urgency,” says Nicole Lurie, CEPI’s Executive Director for Preparedness and Response. “It’s much better to be ahead of the curve than behind it, so you have a greater chance of containing an outbreak. We think of preparation actions a bit like putting our shoes on in case we need to start running.” 

Meet Octavia™, an artificial intelligence platform aimed at protecting humanity against rapidly evolving viruses by designing variant-resilient vaccines. We’re providing US $1.1m to support biotechnology company Apriori Bio’s work on the platform, which works by characterising libraries of viral variants on their ability to bind to cells in the human body and evade the immune response. Using machine learning, Octavia generates maps to identify the mutations that have the greatest ‘escape potential’ and could therefore pose the greatest threat. These insights can guide how vaccines are designed and experts can also use Octavia’s real-time variant insights to inform public health decisions and policies. Having this information ‘a priori’ – before things appear – can significantly enhance pandemic readiness and the world's ability to respond to an outbreak in as little as 100 days 👇

Is the world’s current state of pandemic preparedness better or worse than pre-COVID-19? How does geopolitics affect disease research? And how can we improve health research mobility to better prepare for future pandemics? Last week, CEPI’s Chief of Staff and Executive Director for Governance Strategy and Portfolio, Joseph Simmonds-Issler, joined an expert panel at the Transatlantic Big Science Conference in Berlin, Germany, to discuss key themes relating to biopreparedness and health.  Speaking alongside Edith Heard, EMBL, John Hill, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Chikwe Ihekweazu, World Health Organization, and Matthias H. Tschöp, Helmholtz Munich, the panel discussed the challenges of working on globally neglected diseases and the leading approaches to enhance international scientific resilience in a crisis.  Jointly organised by the US-based Carnegie Science and the EU-based DESY, the Transatlantic Big Science conference brings together international scientific leaders, researchers and policymakers to highlight a wide range of exciting new research and explore how scientists on both sides of the Atlantic can collaborate most productively.

With new funding from CEPI, a novel Nipah monoclonal antibody—which could offer people at risk of infection immediate protection against the deadly disease—is planned to undergo human clinical trials: https://lnkd.in/ezk7vf6Y The $43.5 million CEPI-funded project, led by non-profit biotechnology company ServareGMP and supported by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc, will assess the Nipah mAb, MBP1F5, in healthy adults at multiple clinical trial sites in India and Bangladesh—two countries that suffer Nipah outbreaks almost every year. “Anyone who is exposed to Nipah virus, such as healthcare workers and family members caring for those already infected, run a risk of contracting this highly lethal disease,” said Richard Hatchett, CEPI’s CEO. “A monoclonal antibody capable of offering immediate protection for caregivers and others at risk of infection would be an important addition to our armamentarium against Nipah virus.” In the event of a Nipah outbreak, a mAb is intended to act as a bridge of protection for people at high risk of exposure, prior to the onset of longer-lasting protection offered by vaccines, helping to limit the number of people infected and stop a potential outbreak in its tracks. ➡️ Find out more about this new partnership: https://lnkd.in/ezk7vf6Y ❓ Learn more about the role mAbs could play in helping to stop a potential pandemic: https://lnkd.in/ecYuh_vP 🦠 Discover more about Nipah virus: https://cepi.net/nipah

"We have entered an age of calamity, where the concurrence of disruptive forces, including infectious diseases, will continue in ever accelerating fashion. To better prepare for dealing with “polycrises,” the health regulatory paradigm should continue to evolve, with smart and agile regulation as a key enabler proactively guiding the advancement and application of science. How regulators support health innovation will be critical to prevent another cycle of panic and neglect." Read this perspective from CEPI's Dr Richard Hatchett and Adam Hacker alongside other experts to learn more (Jessalyn Chan, Wei Chuen Tan-Koi Silke Vogel, John Lim) https://lnkd.in/eVcuWJPG

The EU’s rapid and unanimous approval of Valneva’s #Chikungunya vaccine, IXCHIQ, following recommendation by the European Medicines Agency last month is a historic moment to help protect the lives and livelihoods of European populations against outbreaks of Chikungunya, which are becoming more frequent and widespread in the region. Supported by CEPI and EU funding, IXCHIQ is the world’s first vaccine offering protection against the debilitating and long-neglected Chikungunya disease. But the fight is not over. “As a matter of priority CEPI is working with Valneva and the EU to expand access to doses to those living in endemic countries who are most at risk from the disease” explains CEPI CEO Dr @Richard Hatchett in today’s press release. Find out more about how CEPI and partners are accelerating access to doses ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eGw7E6kq

“It’s important to work with people that have had a range of life experiences. People that have confronted problems in different ways and solved them. You need to be able to bring all of that decision-making power to bear. In my own experience, more diverse teams make better decisions.” As we come to the end of #Pridemonth 🌈, celebrating LGBTQIA communities all around the world, hear from two global health leaders at CEPI as they share their inspiring personal stories and experiences of working in global health, including their careers and backgrounds to date and their beliefs and drive that got them to where they are today. As part of Nuclear Threat Initiative’s Diverse Voices in Global Biosecurity, Andrew Hebbeler, Ph.D., CEPI’s inaugural Director of Biosecurity at CEPI and former Senior Director of Global Biological Policy and Programs at NTI, discusses the importance of diversity in biosecurity work and how he views his personal leadership style: https://lnkd.in/emnbGRTP Our Head of Strategy, Mark Lucera, also discusses his journey in the health security field and driving inclusive change as part of the US Out In National Security ‘2024 Out Leader Series’. “Being out allows me to bring my authentic self to personal and professional life and strive to understand and listen to marginalized populations who may be threatened by infectious diseases…Compared to the start of my career, I’ve come to appreciate how people and personalities drive change.”: https://lnkd.in/em7kMc-h 🌈 Happy Pride! 🌈

Now that the dust has settled and I’m back in Washington, I have a moment to reflect on the progress Joseph Simmonds-Issler, Zoe Adler, Ryan Wilkinson, Oyeronke Oyebanji, and I made at last week's Global Health Security Conference 2024 (#GHS2024) in Sydney, Australia. On June 20, CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) and Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada co-hosted a panel on strengthening lab #biosafety and #biosecurity. The discussion featured perspectives from Trevor Smith, Patricia Olinger, JM, Dr. Donald Ibe Ofili, PhD, MSc, IFBA CP, and Sacha Wallace-Sankarsingh as well as Dr Talkmore Maruta, PAUL OKWALINGA, Anita Shete-Aich, and others. I am inspired by the vision of a world where international institutions that conduct high-consequence research are committed to implementing demonstrable, performance-based approaches to reduce #biosafety and #biosecurity risks. We are particularly eager to work with Patricia Olinger, JM and partners to support development of a “roadmap” that could make it easier for research institutions to implement ISO 35001 (2022). Also on June 20, CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), Nuclear Threat Initiative, Global Health Security Fund, Sentinel Bio, African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), and partners came together to launch a new #BioFundersCompact. By signing the #BioFundersCompact, CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) is demonstrating its commitment to fostering the safe and secure advancement of global vaccine research and innovation. We are eager to secure additional #BioFundersCompact signatories, so if your organization funds life science research and wants to join us in strengthening #biosafety and #biosecurity, please let me or Jaime Yassif know! For more information, see https://buff.ly/4cfkdKG We are also thankful for productive biosecurity discussions arranged by Ryan Wilkinson with the Australian government, Ryan Wilkinson's expert moderation of a biosecurity panel discussion, Claire Standley's partnership in pulling together a great panel discussion on performance-based approaches to biosafety and biosecurity, and the compelling overview Oyeronke Oyebanji provided of her important work to catalyze strategic alliances to drive Lassa vaccine research and development. Collectively, these activities are creating momentum for key priorities included in the forthcoming CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) #biosecurity strategy, which we aim to publish later this year. On a personal note, attending #GHS2024 felt in many ways like a family reunion. I saw and reconnected with friends and colleagues that I hadn’t seen in many years, since before the COVID-19 pandemic. A major congratulations to Rebecca Katz and her co-organizers for pulling off a very successful and productive meeting!

CEPI’s June Updates and Insights has just landed 📰 Dive in to learn more about how CEPI and its partners are working to expand defences against Ebola virus and other members of its Filovirus viral family. Plus, learn more about the upcoming Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit, co-hosted with Brazil’s Ministry of Health and Fiocruz; the latest instalment of The Viral Most Wanted; and plenty more.   

“The costs of NTDs and EIDs are vast, in both human and economic terms. CEPI’s ambitious programmes aim to substantially reduce global epidemic and pandemic risk by the developing vaccines to help save lives, protect societies and restabilise economies. Investing in R&D is key to protect people from these diseases”, said CEPI’s Translational Immunology Lead Christine Dahlke at a meeting at the German Parliament Thursday 27 June. Germany is increasing its research into neglected tropical diseases, but this increase is below the average of the ten most productive countries in the world. In addition, research funding in this area has declined since 2018 shows a study commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Research under the leadership of the Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin . Deutscher Bundestag 👉 Read more about CEPI’s R&D here: https://lnkd.in/gqPsqWBk