Based in Spiez, Switzerland, the entity will serve as a center for the safe receipt, sequencing, storage and preparation of biological materials for distribution to other laboratories, in order to inform risk assessments, and sustain global preparedness against these pathogens, said the parties.
“Close international collaboration to ensure the timely sharing of epidemiological and clinical data as well as biological materials is of utmost importance,” said Swiss Federal Councillor, Alain Berset.
Berset and WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, signed the memorandum of understanding on the edges of the World Health Assembly, an event that sees health ministers from the WHO’s 194 member states come together.
Currently, most pathogen sharing is done bilaterally between countries and on an ad hoc basis, which can be slow, and leave some countries without access to the benefits and tools, said the WHO.
The BioHub will enable member states to share biological materials with and via the BioHub under pre-agreed conditions, including biosafety, biosecurity, and other applicable regulations. This will ensure timeliness and predictability in response activities, according to the organization.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and other outbreaks and epidemics have underscored the importance of rapidly sharing pathogens to help the global scientific community assess the risk and develop countermeasures such as diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines,” said the WHO Director-General. “The BioHub System is an important step towards facilitating this flow of information.”