An ‘early warning system’ for future pandemics is to be rolled out in the UK to monitor threats, prevent disease and protect the public, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced.
The surveillance system will be created via the expansion of NHS England’s respiratory metagenomics programme, led by Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. It uses technology created by life sciences company Oxford Nanopore to analyse genes and pathogens to rapidly diagnose cancers and rare and infectious diseases and match patients with the right treatments within six hours.
The expansion of the programme will also allow potential outbreaks of bacterial or viral diseases to be monitored across the country, alongside antimicrobial resistance.
The technology was initially piloted at St Thomas’ hospital and will be rolled out across 30 NHS sites. Data will be given to the UK Health and Security Agency to allow for quicker detection and action on emerging infectious diseases.
The programme is a partnership between the government, Genomics England, UK Biobank, NHS England and Oxford Nanopore.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘If we fail to prepare, we should prepare to fail. Our NHS was already on its knees when the pandemic struck, and it was hit harder than any other comparable healthcare system.
‘We cannot let history repeat itself. That’s why this historic partnership with Oxford Nanopore will ensure our world-leading scientists have the latest information on emerging threats at their fingertips.’
Professor Dame Sue Hill, chief scientific officer for England, said: ‘This strategic partnership will build upon our expertise in infectious disease genomics, representing a significant leap forward in our ability to protect public health and save lives.
‘By integrating cutting-edge technology into 30 NHS sites across the country, we are not only enhancing our capacity to rapidly diagnose and treat severe respiratory infections, but also creating a crucial early warning system for new and emerging infectious diseases.’
Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at the UK Health Security Agency, said: ‘Enhancing the capacity for the NHS to determine new and emerging pathogens causing severe acute respiratory infections will improve the detection and emergence of infections.
‘As part of the 100 days mission, this will enable the development of effective diagnostics for novel pathogens and enhance our pandemic preparedness.‘
Professor Ian Abbs, chief executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘We’ve been working on the respiratory metagenomics programme for over four years and have clearly seen the benefit to our patients. It’s a momentous day now that we can ensure other hospitals, and more patients, can also benefit from faster and more accurate treatment for severe respiratory conditions thanks to new genomic technology.’
A version of this article was originally published by our sister title Healthcare Leader.
