Pandemic Origins: Technologies and Challenges for Biological Investigations

Establish multilateral agreements for accessing and sharing samples and genetic sequence data (report p. 21)

Federal policymakers and others could encourage international preparedness in advance of future outbreaks by establishing multilateral agreements for accessing and sharing samples and genetic sequence data.

• Ensuring timely access to genetic information and samples in the critical beginning stages of a pandemic as well as throughout an origin investigation may help in the determination of a pandemic’s origin.
• Establishing standing agreements between nations before a pandemic occurs could assist in the determination of a pandemic’s origin.

• Countries may be unwilling to participate in multilateral, international agreements because of concerns related to national sovereignty, among other reasons.
• Identifying an appropriate responsible entity to determine and monitor whether countries are following agreed upon standard processes may be time consuming and challenging.

Develop standardized processes for genetic sequence database use (report p. 22)

Federal policymakers and others could empower or establish a working group to develop standardized processes for database use to support pandemic origin investigations.

• Developing standardized processes for database use could help ensure consistency of submitted data and metadata across multiple databases, improve researchers’ access, and help researchers comprehensively compare genetic sequences.
• Implementing leading practices for genetic data integrity and associated metadata could help improve the quality of data in genetic sequence databases.

• Standardized processes may be difficult to develop as there are risk-benefit trade-offs. For example, access to certain novel pathogen sequences should be limited to trusted and credentialed individuals with a need to access those sequences.
• It may be challenging for multiple stakeholders to agree on what data are important.

Improve current, or develop new, genetic sequence database tools (report p. 23)

Policymakers could encourage the improvement of current, or development of new, genetic sequence database tools.

• Improved or new database interfaces could streamline researchers’ data submission, access, and use as well as improve data quality.
• Improved or new database interfaces could help address the projected future growth in genetic sequence data.

• Building new, or retooling current, database interfaces could be time- and labor-intensive.
• It may be challenging for groups of users to agree on what database interface features are important.

Encourage the development, retention, and growth of a workforce with the critical skills needed for pandemic origin investigations (report p. 24)

Policymakers could encourage mechanisms to provide training, workforce development, and capacity-building, including in areas considered hot spots of emerging infectious disease.

• Encouraging development of expertise in geographic areas where novel pathogens are likely to emerge could increase the overall global supply of skilled workers and help to ensure the workforce is not concentrated in any geographic region.
• A trained workforce skilled in origin investigations could contribute to other areas such as public health, or other types of related activities.

• Pandemic origin investigations tend to be episodic. As a result, it may be difficult to adequately plan for and consistently fund staffing in science fields related to pandemic origin investigations.
• Researchers may experience unwanted attention or pressure because of their involvement in pandemic origin investigations and leave the field or refuse to participate.

Augment or develop a national strategy to better coordinate and collaborate domestically and internationally on pandemic origin investigations (report p. 25)

Federal policymakers could better coordinate and collaborate with domestic and international partners by augmenting or developing a national strategy for pandemic origin investigations. This could be a standalone strategy or a component of existing strategies such as the National Biodefense Strategy.

• A national strategy could help address the challenges that hinder pandemic origin investigations.
• Federal coordination and collaboration leadership, guided by a national strategy, could increase preparedness for future pandemic origin investigations.
• Understanding pandemic origins could help mitigate health and economic costs associated with pandemics by, for example, facilitating surveillance that could identify future pandemics more quickly.

• Allocating resources and defining how federal agencies and others will collaborate may be challenging because of the number and types of entities with relevant expertise.
• During nonpandemic periods, other priorities and needs may arise and make it challenging to provide sustained resources and support needed for maintaining a national strategy.