Marburg response: building research readiness for a future filovirus outbreak

21 January 2025 16:00 – 18:00 CET

Background

The WHO's scientific framework for pandemic preparedness and response emphasizes a comprehensive approach to research and development. By focusing on entire pathogen families and priority and prototype pathogens, the strategy aims to create generalizable knowledge and tools that can be rapidly adapted to emerging threats. This framework underscores the importance of global collaboration, sustained support and equitable access. Implementing these key research actions will significantly enhance the world's ability to detect, prevent and respond to potential pandemic threats. There is a crucial need to promote research across all viral and bacterial families, irrespective of perceived pandemic potential.

A key action for improving global research collaboration and advancing research preparedness and response to epidemics and pandemics include establishing a collaborative open research consortium (CORC) for each family. This is based on the experience of the MARVAC Consortium. Each CORC is supported by one or more WHO Collaborative Centres using an agreed approach and common goals. The CORCs, distributed globally, will be implemented using a decentralized structure that promotes equitable participation from researchers in high-, middle-, and low-income countries, particularly those from locations where pathogens are known to circulate. This consortia approach aims to leverage scientific advancements and global collaboration to ensure rapid, equitable and effective research and development.

The CORC initiative aims to establish a network of international research consortia focused on priority families, priority pathogens and prototype pathogens. This concept builds on the WHO's scientific framework for pandemic research preparedness and leverages global scientific expertise to enhance our collective ability to detect, prevent and respond to emerging pathogen threats.

For the filoviruses, the ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases was designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre to lead the filovirus CORC.

The objectives of the meeting are to:

reaffirm the importance of research before, during and after filovirus outbreaks and discuss current knowledge gaps;
update on the status of the Marburg medical countermeasures development pipeline;
share CORE randomized protocols for candidate therapeutics and vaccines;
deliberate on the use of candidate MCMs and the need for robust designs to evaluate safety and efficacy during outbreaks;
explore and finalize activities to optimize future research responses; and
encourage collaboration, efficiency and transparency on methods for research and sharing of findings.