WHO, Switzerland to launch facility for sharing pathogen samples

Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 23:43:40|Editor: huaxia
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GENEVA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Swiss Confederation will launch the first facility to share rapidly virus and pathogen samples between laboratories worldwide, as the WHO BioHub Facility was approved through a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday.

"Close international collaboration to ensure the timely sharing of epidemiological and clinical data as well as biological materials is of utmost importance," said Alain Berset, Swiss Federal Councillor for Home Affairs.

The BioHub Facility will be used as a center for storing, sequencing and preparing pathogens to be distributed to laboratories across the world.

"The COVID-19 pandemic and other outbreaks and epidemics have underscored the importance of rapidly sharing pathogens to help the global scientific community assess the risk and develop countermeasures such as diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a press release.

According to plan, the BioHub will start with a pilot phase to share samples of COVID-19-related materials. The WHO predicted that it will share other pathogens and connect laboratories by 2022. Enditem

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