Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PAIR (Pandemic Information to Support Rapid Response)
Berichtszeitraum: 2024-01-01 bis 2025-06-30
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the devastating consequences of emerging infectious diseases that can spread across borders and affect human and animal health. Many of these diseases are caused by respiratory viruses, such as influenza and coronaviruses, which have the potential to evolve, adapt, and spill over from animal reservoirs to humans. To prevent and control future pandemics, there is a need for rapid, reliable, and cost-effective diagnostic and prognostic tools that can provide timely and accurate information to support decision-making and public trust.
The PAIR project aims to address this challenge by developing and validating two innovative and complementary tools:
• PANPOC: A point-of-care (POC) instrument for rapidly detecting respiratory RNA viruses with pandemic potential in human, animal and environmental samples. PANPOC will be able to test for human and animal influenza A (InfA, AIV and SIV), influenza B and beta-CoV (SARS-CoV-2 variants and emerging beta-coronaviruses), referred to as the Target Viruses.
• PANRISK: A prognostic platform based on artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) models that can predict the risk of animal pathogen spillover that can infect humans and spatial-temporal outbreaks of zoonoses. PANRISK will use genomic and epidemiological data from public databases and partners' proprietary results to assess pandemic risk based on spatial occurrence (geographical mapping), temporal occurrence patterns, and temporal evolution of viruses (genetic surveillance, bioinformatics analysis).
The tools are designed to meet the comprehensive requirements for a European One Health genomic-informed surveillance and outbreak response model, following the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) for data management. The tools will be implemented and validated by veterinary and clinical end-users in five Target Countries (DK, FR, LV, IT and ES), and guidelines for EU-wide implementation will be prepared. The project will also involve social sciences and humanities experts to ensure the tools' ethical, legal and social aspects are considered and to foster public engagement and trust. The role of SSH in the project is to provide ethical guidance, legal analysis, stakeholder consultation, social impact assessment, and communication and dissemination strategies.
The main objectives of the project are:
• Development and analytical validation of a low-cost point-of-care system (PANPOC) for detection of the Target Viruses.
• Validation of the PANPOC in vitro diagnostic device for veterinary and clinical use (One Health approach).
• Development of AI/ML-based models to predict the risk of animal pathogen spillover that can infect humans and spatial-temporal outbreaks of zoonoses.
• Development of the PANRISK platform that combines the two prediction models.
• Implementation and validation of PANPOC by clinical end-users in primary and secondary care.
• Implementation and validation of PANRISK by health and veterinary authorities advisory bodies.
• Dissemination, exploitation and communication of the project's critical exploitable results.
The PAIR project aims to address this challenge by developing and validating two innovative and complementary tools:
• PANPOC: A point-of-care (POC) instrument for rapidly detecting respiratory RNA viruses with pandemic potential in human, animal and environmental samples. PANPOC will be able to test for human and animal influenza A (InfA, AIV and SIV), influenza B and beta-CoV (SARS-CoV-2 variants and emerging beta-coronaviruses), referred to as the Target Viruses.
• PANRISK: A prognostic platform based on artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) models that can predict the risk of animal pathogen spillover that can infect humans and spatial-temporal outbreaks of zoonoses. PANRISK will use genomic and epidemiological data from public databases and partners' proprietary results to assess pandemic risk based on spatial occurrence (geographical mapping), temporal occurrence patterns, and temporal evolution of viruses (genetic surveillance, bioinformatics analysis).
The tools are designed to meet the comprehensive requirements for a European One Health genomic-informed surveillance and outbreak response model, following the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) for data management. The tools will be implemented and validated by veterinary and clinical end-users in five Target Countries (DK, FR, LV, IT and ES), and guidelines for EU-wide implementation will be prepared. The project will also involve social sciences and humanities experts to ensure the tools' ethical, legal and social aspects are considered and to foster public engagement and trust. The role of SSH in the project is to provide ethical guidance, legal analysis, stakeholder consultation, social impact assessment, and communication and dissemination strategies.
The main objectives of the project are:
• Development and analytical validation of a low-cost point-of-care system (PANPOC) for detection of the Target Viruses.
• Validation of the PANPOC in vitro diagnostic device for veterinary and clinical use (One Health approach).
• Development of AI/ML-based models to predict the risk of animal pathogen spillover that can infect humans and spatial-temporal outbreaks of zoonoses.
• Development of the PANRISK platform that combines the two prediction models.
• Implementation and validation of PANPOC by clinical end-users in primary and secondary care.
• Implementation and validation of PANRISK by health and veterinary authorities advisory bodies.
• Dissemination, exploitation and communication of the project's critical exploitable results.
The PAIR project started in January 2021 and is currently in its first year of implementation. The main activities and achievements performed so far are summarised below:
• The project consortium has been established, and the project management structures and procedures have been established. The project website, logo and visual identity have been created and launched. The project communication and dissemination plan has been developed, and initial activities have been carried out, such as press releases, newsletters, social media posts and participation in online events.
• The project has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the state-of-the-art and user requirements for the PANPOC and PANRISK tools. The analysis has involved a literature review, stakeholder consultation, and market research. It has provided valuable insights into the technical specifications, performance criteria, regulatory and ethical aspects, and potential market segments and value propositions for the tools.
• The project has initiated the development and analytical validation of the PANPOC system, which consists of a portable device and a disposable cartridge. The project has designed and optimised the molecular assays for detecting the Target Viruses and the microfluidic and electronic components of the device and the cartridge. The project has also developed the software and the user interface for the PANPOC system. The project is currently testing and evaluating the performance of the PANPOC system in terms of sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility, robustness and usability.
• The project has started developing AI/ML-based models for the PANRISK platform, which aims to predict the risk of animal pathogen spillover and spatial-temporal outbreaks of zoonoses. The project has collected and curated many genomic and epidemiological data from public databases and partners' proprietary results. The project also defined the data processing and analysis pipelines, the model architectures, and the validation methods. The project is currently training and testing the models on the data sets and evaluating their accuracy, reliability and interpretability performance.
• The project consortium has been established, and the project management structures and procedures have been established. The project website, logo and visual identity have been created and launched. The project communication and dissemination plan has been developed, and initial activities have been carried out, such as press releases, newsletters, social media posts and participation in online events.
• The project has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the state-of-the-art and user requirements for the PANPOC and PANRISK tools. The analysis has involved a literature review, stakeholder consultation, and market research. It has provided valuable insights into the technical specifications, performance criteria, regulatory and ethical aspects, and potential market segments and value propositions for the tools.
• The project has initiated the development and analytical validation of the PANPOC system, which consists of a portable device and a disposable cartridge. The project has designed and optimised the molecular assays for detecting the Target Viruses and the microfluidic and electronic components of the device and the cartridge. The project has also developed the software and the user interface for the PANPOC system. The project is currently testing and evaluating the performance of the PANPOC system in terms of sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility, robustness and usability.
• The project has started developing AI/ML-based models for the PANRISK platform, which aims to predict the risk of animal pathogen spillover and spatial-temporal outbreaks of zoonoses. The project has collected and curated many genomic and epidemiological data from public databases and partners' proprietary results. The project also defined the data processing and analysis pipelines, the model architectures, and the validation methods. The project is currently training and testing the models on the data sets and evaluating their accuracy, reliability and interpretability performance.
The PAIR project is expected to deliver results that go beyond the state of the art in several aspects:
• The PANPOC system will offer a novel and versatile solution for rapid and reliable detection of respiratory RNA viruses with pandemic potential in human, animal and environmental samples. The system will be able to test for multiple viruses simultaneously, with high sensitivity and specificity, and provide results within 30 minutes. The system will be portable, easy to use and low-cost, making it suitable for point-of-care settings and field applications. The system will also be compatible with existing data infrastructures and standards, enabling data sharing and integration.
• The PANRISK platform will provide a cutting-edge and comprehensive approach to predicting the risk of animal pathogen spillover and spatial-temporal outbreaks of zoonoses. The platform will use advanced AI/ML techniques to analyse large, diverse genomic and epidemiological data sets and generate risk maps and alerts. It will also incorporate ethical, legal, and social considerations and provide user-friendly interfaces and visualisations. The platform will support evidence-based decision-making and public awareness of pandemic prevention and response.
• The PAIR project will contribute to developing and implementing a European One Health genomic-informed surveillance and outbreak response model, following the FAIR principles for data management. The project will promote collaboration and coordination among stakeholders and sectors, such as health and veterinary authorities, researchers, clinicians, industry, and civil society. It will also foster the innovation and competitiveness of the European in vitro diagnostics sector and the uptake of digital solutions for health care.
• The PANPOC system will offer a novel and versatile solution for rapid and reliable detection of respiratory RNA viruses with pandemic potential in human, animal and environmental samples. The system will be able to test for multiple viruses simultaneously, with high sensitivity and specificity, and provide results within 30 minutes. The system will be portable, easy to use and low-cost, making it suitable for point-of-care settings and field applications. The system will also be compatible with existing data infrastructures and standards, enabling data sharing and integration.
• The PANRISK platform will provide a cutting-edge and comprehensive approach to predicting the risk of animal pathogen spillover and spatial-temporal outbreaks of zoonoses. The platform will use advanced AI/ML techniques to analyse large, diverse genomic and epidemiological data sets and generate risk maps and alerts. It will also incorporate ethical, legal, and social considerations and provide user-friendly interfaces and visualisations. The platform will support evidence-based decision-making and public awareness of pandemic prevention and response.
• The PAIR project will contribute to developing and implementing a European One Health genomic-informed surveillance and outbreak response model, following the FAIR principles for data management. The project will promote collaboration and coordination among stakeholders and sectors, such as health and veterinary authorities, researchers, clinicians, industry, and civil society. It will also foster the innovation and competitiveness of the European in vitro diagnostics sector and the uptake of digital solutions for health care.