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Rapid response research to emerging infectious diseases: lessons from SARS

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 2, pages 602–607 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

New and emerging infectious diseases continue to plague the world, and there is significant concern that recombinant infectious agents can be used as bioterrorism threats. Microbiologists are increasingly being asked to apply their scientific knowledge to respond to these threats. The recent pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus illustrated not only how a newly evolved pathogen can rapidly spread throughout the world but also how the global community can unite to identify the causative agent and control its spread. Rapid response research mechanisms, such as those used by the SARS Accelerated Vaccine Initiative (SAVI), have shown that the application of emergency management techniques, together with rapid response research, can be highly effective when applied appropriately to new infectious diseases.

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Figure 1: The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic and important findings.
Figure 2: Schematic representation of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) particle.
Figure 3: Generic model of the organization of a rapid research response to an emerging infectious disease.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all SAVI members for their dedication and commitment towards this rapid response initiative. B.B.F. and R.C.B are Scientific Director and Associate Director of SAVI, respectively. B.B.F. is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) International Research Scholar, a Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) Distinguished Investigator and the UBC Peter Wall Distinguished Professor. R.C.B is Medical Director of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. We would also like to thank T. Conley and K. Roberts for graphic layout and design. Work in our laboratories is supported by CIHR, HHMI and the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biotechnology Laboratory and Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z3, British Columbia, Canada

    B. Brett Finlay

  2. Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, BC CDC, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z3, British Columbia, Canada

    Raymond H. See & Robert C. Brunham

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  1. B. Brett Finlay
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  2. Raymond H. See
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to B. Brett Finlay.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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FURTHER INFORMATION

SARS Bioinformatics Suite

Vaccine policy

Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre

British Columbia Centre for Disease Control

SAVI

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Finlay, B., See, R. & Brunham, R. Rapid response research to emerging infectious diseases: lessons from SARS. Nat Rev Microbiol 2, 602–607 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro930

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