[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7435\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHow we prepare for an \u2018age of pandemics\u2019\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It is likely that we are entering an age of pandemics,\u2019 said Prof. Peter Piot, director of the UK\u2019s London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who co-discovered the Ebola virus in 1976 and is now special advisor to the president of the European Commission on Covid-19.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe told the audience of researchers, policymakers and industry players that while he believes the risk of zoonoses \u2013 infectious diseases that cross from animals to humans \u2013 and pandemics will increase, the past year has shown the value of investing in research and innovation. He particularly singled out the value of basic research, with vaccines being developed in record time based on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/article\/five-things-you-need-know-about-mrna-vaccines.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EmRNA technology\u003C\/a\u003E that has been decades in the making.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018One of the silver linings of this pandemic has been the formidable impact of research and innovation,\u2019 he said. \u2018mRNA (vaccines) didn\u2019t fall out of the sky; they are the result of decades of basic research.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is with an eye on the next pandemic that the European Union is proposing to create a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/strategy\/priorities-2019-2024\/promoting-our-european-way-life\/european-health-union_en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EHealth Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority\u003C\/a\u003E (HERA), whose responsibilities are likely to include foreseeing crises, averting them where possible and otherwise enabling Europe to respond at speed and scale, through actions such as strategic stockpiling or surge manufacturing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe creation of HERA was announced by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in her \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/SPEECH_20_1655\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EState of the Union\u003C\/a\u003E address in September 2020, during which she said: \u2018For me, it is crystal clear \u2013 we need to build a stronger European Health Union.\u2019 The new agency is conceived of as a way to support Europe\u2019s capacity and readiness to respond to cross-border threats and emergencies, and a formal proposal will be put forward at the end of 2021.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018What we have learned (from the coronavirus pandemic) is that research and innovation saves lives,\u2019 said Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, addressing the conference. \u2018In peacetime, we should continue to invest strategically in research and innovation.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003E\u2018It is likely that we are entering an age of pandemics.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EProf. Peter Piot, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EScale up\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA body like HERA that covers all aspects of preparedness and response \u2013 from basic research to development to manufacturing capacity \u2013 could be critical in getting public health measures off the ground more quickly, according to Momir Radulovi\u0107, executive director of the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of the Republic of Slovenia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe was speaking at a panel session on 23 June to discuss how the research and development of countermeasures such as vaccines, drugs, tests and devices can be coordinated in preparation for a pandemic or other health threat.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHERA is an opportunity to strengthen the EU\u2019s ability to respond to future health crises, he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe added that it was important for HERA to cover all aspects of preparedness and response. \u2018Otherwise we can have great basic research but if you don\u2019t know how to scale up this development then we can have an issue \u2013 and this is clearly seen in the vaccine production now.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn order to turn research into pharmaceutical interventions that can be manufactured and deployed at scale, industry needs to be involved from the very beginning, according to Dr Claire Skentelbery, director general of EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Industry is an integral part of (the European research landscape), from the earliest possible phase right through to when it reaches the patient and makes a difference,\u2019 she said. \u2018As we\u2019ve seen, Europe doesn\u2019t lack for super-cool technologies, with mRNA being a really great example. The challenge is bringing it to a functional product and process to the patient.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlbert Osterhaus, a virologist and influenza expert and emeritus professor of virology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands, said that for HERA to be a success, support and investment needed to be aimed at all different levels and sectors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The whole chain of preparedness is dependent on the weakest link. Let\u2019s not economise here. We cannot prioritise, we have to make a very broad investment.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBeyond Europe\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Osterhaus, who is known for his work on SARS and MERS, as well as flu, also highlighted the importance of working with people in other parts of the world, such as Africa, the Middle East and Asia, rather than focusing efforts just on Europe, as this is where recent viruses have emerged.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We need networks there, we need early detection, but we also need capacity (to respond). The quicker we are on the ball, the more rapidly we can react.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Piot also emphasised the need to take a global approach in order to put the current pandemic behind us. \u2018We have to go further than Europe. This is a global pandemic and as long as the problem is not solved in all countries, it\u2019s not solved anywhere. That\u2019s why making sure there is access to vaccines is not only a moral issue but is also critical for pandemic control.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n            \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n      Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-eykf5d4aceiiycb-snxav3zxfrhlyotg59zza2jqpc4\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-EYkF5d4AceIiyCB_sNxAv3zXFrHLyoTg59zZA2JqPc4\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]