Making sensible use of modern laboratory technology: Monitor viruses more reliably and recognise outbreaks early.

During the coronavirus pandemic, several European countries were equipped with modern laboratory equipment and software to analyse pathogens more quickly and accurately. This technology is valuable, but complex. There is often a lack of standardised procedures, sufficiently trained staff and experience to use it safely and reliably on a day-to-day basis.

This means that laboratories cannot always use their new equipment optimally, for example when monitoring changes in the virus or performing rapid analyses during an outbreak.
In this project, experts from four countries (Austria, Greece, Croatia and Hungary) are working closely together to improve their laboratory systems step by step. They are comparing their processes, developing common standards and testing new methods that allow viruses to be analysed more quickly and precisely. This includes, for example, automating work processes so that results are available more quickly and with fewer errors.

The computer programs required to analyse genetic data are also being harmonised and modernised so that all countries work with the same safe and reliable tools. At the same time, new methods for genome analysis are being tested and evaluated. An important part is also the exchange of knowledge: the participants share experiences and support each other in overcoming typical difficulties. The ultimate aim is to create a stable, everyday infrastructure that is immediately ready for use in the event of disease outbreaks and can be utilised by all countries in the long term.

• Development of a sustainable, efficient and powerful laboratory infrastructure for the expansion of microbiology in the national healthcare system
• Improved genome-based routine surveillance of infectious diseases at regional, national and European level
• Greater use of genetic analyses in disease outbreaks and expansion of technical capacities for this purpose
• Early detection and increased surveillance of emerging and known variants of the coronavirus, nationally and across Europe
• Better preparation for future outbreaks of infectious diseases and pandemics
• Improving digitalisation processes, including bioinformatics pipelines and workflows for rapid alert systems

Together with the consortium partners Greece (EODY), Croatia (CIPH) and Hungary (NCPHP), AGES as coordinator was awarded the Joint Action in the EU4Health program HERA 2 - Consolidation of WGS/RT-PCR and infrastructure processes in outbreak surveillance and investigation in autumn 2022. A total budget of € 4.54 million is foreseen for this project.