Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MOBILISE (MOBILISE: A novel and green mobile One Health laboratory for (re-)emerging infectious disease outbreaks)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-10-01 bis 2024-03-31
Due to climate change and rising temperatures, emerging arboviruses (Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus, West Nile Virus, Rift Valley fever, Dengue fever) are finding their way into Europe through arthropod vectors (mosquitoes, ticks), and are becoming a major public health concern. Optimally monitoring zoonotic outbreaks requires a "One Health" approach, in which human, animal and environmental samples are analysed, as close as possible to the vectors' habitat. Also returning travellers might carry haemorrhagic Ebola/Marburg virus or respiratory pathogens. Existing European mobile laboratory capacity have several shortcomings: most were exclusively for human diagnostics, only few had quality management system or the highest bio-safety level for (haemorrhagic) arbovirus handling.
MOBILISE aims to develop a novel, quality-assured, mobile One Health laboratory solution. It will receive human/animal/environmental samples for diagnostics and host a whole genome sequencing platform for pathogen discovery and epidemiological analysis. We will further develop novel rapid diagnostic tests for BSL-3/4 pathogens. A novel AI-based "Emergency Operating Centre and Decision Support System" software will assist end-users in coordinating MOBILISE fleets across Europe and manage outbreaks in real-time. Hosted on an electric/hybrid truck platform, and using solar and wind-energy, it will also reduce CO2 emissions in compliance with the European Green Deal. The lab will be field-tested to TRL-7 by National agencies and first-responders in Austria, Romania, Greece and Africa.
MOBILISE aims to develop a novel, quality-assured, mobile One Health laboratory solution. It will receive human/animal/environmental samples for diagnostics and host a whole genome sequencing platform for pathogen discovery and epidemiological analysis. We will further develop novel rapid diagnostic tests for BSL-3/4 pathogens. A novel AI-based "Emergency Operating Centre and Decision Support System" software will assist end-users in coordinating MOBILISE fleets across Europe and manage outbreaks in real-time. Hosted on an electric/hybrid truck platform, and using solar and wind-energy, it will also reduce CO2 emissions in compliance with the European Green Deal. The lab will be field-tested to TRL-7 by National agencies and first-responders in Austria, Romania, Greece and Africa.
An expandable, mobile BSL-3 laboratory container, mounted on an IVECO Daily platform, was built to the requirements of national agencies and first responders. Although an electric truck platform is currently not compatible with rapid deployment time a mobile laboratory has to achieve (due to low range and long charging times), the laboratory fulfils its green mandate and is equipped with a photovoltaic system and a wind turbine, but can also run on grid power (or in emergencies by a diesel generator). This laboratory has the capacity to diagnose highly-infectious risk group 3 and 4 pathogens, such as West Nile Virus (WNV) and Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV). Based on a needs assessment conducted amongst national agencies and first responders, a laboratory manual and a training concept were developed. The development of novel rapid-tests and of the One Health Sequencing platform has started and shows promising progress.
To efficiently coordinate mobile laboratory activities, a centralised repository European mobile laboratory capacities was already available at the proposal writing stage. But to drive internalisation, and because risk group 4 pathogens often emerge in Africa, we extended our review and dataset.This database was further curated and mobile laboratory initiatives from both continents were contacted to assess whether the projects are still operational and a total of 13 active mobile laboratory projects from Greece, Italy, Germany, Albania, Ukraine, Tanzania, UK, Hungary and Czech Republic were so far identified. Future mobile laboratory initiatives can register through the MOBILISE homepage (https://mobilise-lab.eu(öffnet in neuem Fenster)) in which the survey can still be accessed. Our inventory can serve as a novel resource for first responders, national agencies, international health organisations and other stakeholders commissioned with epidemic and pandemic preparedness to orchestrate joint mobile laboratory activities in Europe and Africa. In the second half of the project, we will discuss the hand-over of the database to stakeholders.
Trial development to field validate the MOBILISE laboratory to TRL-7 was divided into two main sections; (1) Development of trial guidance methodology for each of the planned field trials and (2) planning of the field trials in each of the countries. As a first step, the outbreak reporting algorithms for WNV and CCHF in the Human and Veterinary sectors were identified to be evaluated in a tabletop exercise, identifying any challenges of system integration before the actual field deployment. In the second stage, the field missions in Austria, Greece, Romania and East Africa are being planned to re-evaluate MOBILISE's integration into national reporting systems as well as the actual laboratory SOPs.
To efficiently coordinate mobile laboratory activities, a centralised repository European mobile laboratory capacities was already available at the proposal writing stage. But to drive internalisation, and because risk group 4 pathogens often emerge in Africa, we extended our review and dataset.This database was further curated and mobile laboratory initiatives from both continents were contacted to assess whether the projects are still operational and a total of 13 active mobile laboratory projects from Greece, Italy, Germany, Albania, Ukraine, Tanzania, UK, Hungary and Czech Republic were so far identified. Future mobile laboratory initiatives can register through the MOBILISE homepage (https://mobilise-lab.eu(öffnet in neuem Fenster)) in which the survey can still be accessed. Our inventory can serve as a novel resource for first responders, national agencies, international health organisations and other stakeholders commissioned with epidemic and pandemic preparedness to orchestrate joint mobile laboratory activities in Europe and Africa. In the second half of the project, we will discuss the hand-over of the database to stakeholders.
Trial development to field validate the MOBILISE laboratory to TRL-7 was divided into two main sections; (1) Development of trial guidance methodology for each of the planned field trials and (2) planning of the field trials in each of the countries. As a first step, the outbreak reporting algorithms for WNV and CCHF in the Human and Veterinary sectors were identified to be evaluated in a tabletop exercise, identifying any challenges of system integration before the actual field deployment. In the second stage, the field missions in Austria, Greece, Romania and East Africa are being planned to re-evaluate MOBILISE's integration into national reporting systems as well as the actual laboratory SOPs.
IN WP2, we developed the novel MOBILISE platform. Once commissioned and validated in the field, it will bring a full portfolio of diagnostics and cutting-edge analysis for high-risk pathogens to the field. Whilst mounted on a light-weight truck, MOBILISE has a very compact footprint during transport mode, yet when expanded, it has significantly more space available than comparable container laboratories. Because of this 30% gain in working area, and the innovative separation of the working area into rooms (BSL-3 room, 2 x wings), MOBILISE can house many diagnostic workflows. As a fully dedicated One Health laboratory, varying sample types can be received and inactivated in the negatively pressurized, BSL-3 containment area with its class III biosafety cabinet ("glovebox"). We are not only able to inactivate the most infectious viral agents (risk group 4), but can also cultivate, identify and screen bacteria for anti-microbial resistance. The wings can be used for PCR diagnostics and One Health Sequencing, as they allow the separation of workflows into a clean pre-PCR room and a dirty post-PCR/Sequencing area. All of this was possible due to MDSC's innovative laboratory shelter design, and the selection of highly compact, energy efficient engineering solutions, in particular when designing the BSL-3 room. We anticipate that through implementation of smart workflows, the use of energy-efficient equipment, MOBILISE can be operated on renewable and green energy.
Within WP3 AIT is developing novel nucleic-acid based rapid diagnostic kits (RDTs) which, as opposed to conventional RDTs that detect antigens produced by a pathogen, directly detect genetic material of CCHFV and WNV. If successful, we are aiming for a low tech, rapid test with a sensitivity comparable to PCR, which can be utilized in low resource settings as well. A particularly interesting feature is that these RDTs are machine-readable and can be automatically analyzed from within the glovebox, thus significantly reducing the turn-around time to diagnosis for risk group 4 pathogens such as CCHFV.
Within WP3 AIT is developing novel nucleic-acid based rapid diagnostic kits (RDTs) which, as opposed to conventional RDTs that detect antigens produced by a pathogen, directly detect genetic material of CCHFV and WNV. If successful, we are aiming for a low tech, rapid test with a sensitivity comparable to PCR, which can be utilized in low resource settings as well. A particularly interesting feature is that these RDTs are machine-readable and can be automatically analyzed from within the glovebox, thus significantly reducing the turn-around time to diagnosis for risk group 4 pathogens such as CCHFV.