The UK Health Security Agency has published its view on the pathogen families that could pose the greatest risk to public health.
This list aims to guide research and development investment in England, focusing on both global public health threats and those most relevant to the UK population.
The list of 24 pathogen families serves as a reference tool to help guide research and development in diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics. It highlights where further research would be most beneficial to boost preparedness against future biosecurity risks.
UKHSA Chief Scientific Officer Dr Isabel Oliver said:
“This tool is a vital guide for industry and academia, highlighting where scientific research can be targeted to boost UK preparedness against health threats.
“We are using the tool as part of our conversations with the scientific community, to help ensure that investment is focused to where it can have the biggest impact.
“We hope this will help to speed up vaccine and diagnostics development where it is most needed, to ensure we are fully prepared in our fight against potentially deadly pathogens.”
For each viral family included, the tool provides an indicative rating of high, moderate, or low pandemic and epidemic potential. These ratings, based on the opinions of UKHSA scientific experts, consider routes of transmission and disease severity.
The UKHSA is particularly keen to see greater scientific strides in the coronaviridae family (including Covid-19), the paramyxoviridae family (including Nipah virus), and the orthomyxoviridae family (including avian influenza). The tool is not exhaustive and will be updated annually to reflect changes in epidemiology and progress in diagnostics and countermeasures.
The tool supports the UK Biological Security Strategy and is one of several measures the UKHSA is using to protect public health. The UKHSA’s Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre and Diagnostic Accelerator are working with academia and industry to prepare for pathogenic threats.
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