Gates Foundation and PRIONS per Lancet and
Disease X
Pathogen X
https://archive.is/hlRYh#selection-2081.0-2376.1
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30123-7/fulltext
"Disease X: accelerating the development of medical countermeasures for the next pandemic
Shmona Simpson, PhD
Michael C Kaufmann, PhD
Vitaly Glozman, MBA
Ajoy Chakrabarti, PhD
Published:March 17, 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30123-7"
Summary
WHOhas listed several priority diseases with epidemic potential for which there are no, or insufficient, medical countermeasures. In response, theBill & Melinda Gates Foundation(with support fromPricewaterhouseCoopers) coordinated subject matter experts to create a preparedness plan for Disease X.Disease X is caused by Pathogen X, an infectious agent that is not currently known to cause human disease, but an aetiologic agent of a future outbreak with epidemic or pandemic potential. We have identified crucial areas for acceleration in medical countermeasure product development and international coordination. We have also reviewed novel platforms and process improvements related to manufacturing, which could revolutionise the response to the next pandemic. Finally, we created several coordination and engagement guides. These guides range from the rational design of an intervention target product profile, to the key facets of vaccine and therapeutic development, to accelerated manufacturing and regulatory mechanisms. In this Personal View, we provide a high-level summary of the outcomes of the medical countermeasure development workstream, intended for a broad audience including academia, medical countermeasure developers, and multilateral coordinating bodies. We hope that they might find this piece useful in prioritising strategic investments and efforts to accelerate medical countermeasure development. We observed that in-depth analyses of clinical trial design, chemistry, manufacturing and control activities, and accelerated regulatory pathways are necessary for shortening the timelines for the product development of medical countermeasures. We intend to cover these topics in future publications.
The epidemiology of Pathogen X
Pathogen X could be any pathogen including but not limited to viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, orprions. Of the 400 emerging infectious disease events recorded since 1940, bacteria (including rickettsia) account for 54%, whereas viral orprion pathogens(25%), protozoa (11%), fungi (6%), and helminths (3%) are less common.2 Although viral pathogens represent a small proportion of the pathogens that account for emerging infectious disease events, the most devastating recent emergence events—namely, HIV, influenza H1N1 and H5H1, severe acute respiratory syndromecoronavirus, Lassa virus, Ebola virus, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus—have involved RNA viruses.3, 4 They can replicate in numerous host species, and their error-prone reverse transcriptase enables high mutability resulting in the evasion of host responses. Further, 94% of zoonotic viruses affecting humans areRNA viruses