Insufficient Surveillance of Bio-Threats

Deploy comprehensive sequencing-based early warning systems to rapidly detect and attribute emerging bio-threats. It is important to distinguish detection of known pathogens (easy to find in sequencing data) vs. previously unknown ones (hard).

Improve epidemic surveillance and modeling by integrating data from multiple sources for timely, actionable insights.

Develop rapid test platforms that can be reconfigured within days or weeks for emerging pathogens, enabling quick self-testing during a pandemic. Address the limitations of traditional lateral flow tests—which rely on antibodies and take months to develop—by significantly accelerating the deployment of diagnostic tools.

Technologies to detect and modulate the host immune response across a broad range of infections to improve patient outcomes and treatment strategies.

Utilize the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as an early detection tool to identify pathogenic outbreaks.

Capabilities to determine the geographical source of bio-threats and whether they stem from natural sources or human activity. 

Develop detailed economic models to better assess the costs and benefits of different bio-threat interventions and inform policy decisions.