Abstract:ELIXIR, the European research infrastructure for life science data, provides open access to data, tools and workflows in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. ELIXIR's 23 nodes have reacted swiftly to support researchers in their combined efforts against the pandemic setting out three joint priorities: 1. Connecting national COVID-19 data platforms to create federated European COVID-19 Data Spaces; 2. Fostering good data management to make COVID-19 data open, FAIR and reusable over the long term; 3. Providing… Show more
“…Although the best surveillance system still needs to be defined, the setting up of networks of regional sequencing centres hosted in academic institutions and/or public health agencies provided a close-to-real-time sequencing facility that enabled genomic data to be interpreted and used locally for epidemiological monitoring 103 . The large-scale use of such sequencing centres in Europe for the assessment of how the virus interacts with host cofactors and the health consequences of COVID-19 are continuously expanded and improved 104 . Fig.…”
During the early phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, design, development, validation, verification and implementation of diagnostic tests were actively addressed by a large number of diagnostic test manufacturers. Hundreds of molecular tests and immunoassays were rapidly developed, albeit many still await clinical validation and formal approval. In this Review, we summarize the crucial role of diagnostic tests during the first global wave of COVID-19. We explore the technical and implementation problems encountered during this early phase in the pandemic, and try to define future directions for the progressive and better use of (syndromic) diagnostics during a possible resurgence of COVID-19 in future global waves or regional outbreaks. Continuous global improvement in diagnostic test preparedness is essential for more rapid detection of patients, possibly at the point of care, and for optimized prevention and treatment, in both industrialized countries and low-resource settings.
“…Although the best surveillance system still needs to be defined, the setting up of networks of regional sequencing centres hosted in academic institutions and/or public health agencies provided a close-to-real-time sequencing facility that enabled genomic data to be interpreted and used locally for epidemiological monitoring 103 . The large-scale use of such sequencing centres in Europe for the assessment of how the virus interacts with host cofactors and the health consequences of COVID-19 are continuously expanded and improved 104 . Fig.…”
During the early phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, design, development, validation, verification and implementation of diagnostic tests were actively addressed by a large number of diagnostic test manufacturers. Hundreds of molecular tests and immunoassays were rapidly developed, albeit many still await clinical validation and formal approval. In this Review, we summarize the crucial role of diagnostic tests during the first global wave of COVID-19. We explore the technical and implementation problems encountered during this early phase in the pandemic, and try to define future directions for the progressive and better use of (syndromic) diagnostics during a possible resurgence of COVID-19 in future global waves or regional outbreaks. Continuous global improvement in diagnostic test preparedness is essential for more rapid detection of patients, possibly at the point of care, and for optimized prevention and treatment, in both industrialized countries and low-resource settings.
“…This has led to an acceleration in the development of FEGA, including support for its underlying architecture, technical interfaces and software implementation to establish national nodes. To date, work has progressed on the governance and legal framework for FEGA, the technical interfaces, and demonstrator implementations in collaboration with the ELIXIR nodes ( 21 ). In addition, FEGA has been able to contribute to global standards for data sharing through the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), a policy-framing and technical standards-setting organisation for responsible genomic data sharing.…”
Section: Data Service Responses To the Pandemicmentioning
The European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI; https://www.ebi.ac.uk/) provides freely available data and bioinformatics services to the scientific community, alongside its research activity and training provision. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront a need for the scientific community to work even more cooperatively to effectively tackle a global health crisis. EMBL-EBI has been able to build on its position to contribute to the fight against COVID-19 in a number of ways. Firstly, EMBL-EBI has used its infrastructure, expertise and network of international collaborations to help build the European COVID-19 Data Platform (https://www.covid19dataportal.org/), which brings together COVID-19 biomolecular data and connects it to researchers, clinicians and public health professionals. By September 2020, the COVID-19 Data Platform has integrated in excess of 170 000 COVID-19 biomolecular data and literature records, collected through a number of EMBL-EBI resources. Secondly, EMBL-EBI has strived to continue its support of the life science communities through the crisis, with updated Training provision and improved service provision throughout its resources. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of EMBL-EBI’s core principles, including international cooperation, resource sharing and central data brokering, and has further empowered scientific cooperation.
“…Another issue critical to the conclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic is the development of a vaccine. Many nations are working toward the development of an effective vaccine, some in isolation, and, encouragingly, a large number of trials are operating cooperatively and sharing critical data, particularly in the European Union (EU) [34]. The WHO also maintains a database of some 10 vaccines that are in clinical evaluation and a further 126 candidate vaccines in preclinical evaluation [35].…”
Section: International Cooperation and The Emergence Of Nationalismmentioning
Short term outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic have included improved air quality and reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions, while long term repercussions may include a disruption to joint international research efforts, the creation of silos, and the potential for internalizing efforts toward national rather than global goals. In this study, we identified the impacts of reduced mobility on pollutants and emissions, the emergence of nationalist approaches and effects on international cooperation, and how these issues will affect the achievement of global carbon targets and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). COVID-19 presents a global short-term crisis and there is a demonstrated global desire and effort to develop a vaccine and effective treatments. Similarly, climate change is also a near future issue, and as a result we need to reduce CO2 emissions rapidly. This review highlights potential policy interventions, which capitalize on learnings from COVID-19, while identifying SDGs 10, 13 and 17 as critical to engendering a successful, cooperative transition toward sustainability. The recognition of the earth as a closed system, demonstrated by the shared impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, may encourage positive future effects on cooperative approaches toward mitigating climate change, another looming crisis for humanity.
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