ALN 47.070: PIPP Phase II: Environmental Surveillance for Assessing Pathogen Emergence (ESCAPE)

TITLE PIPP Phase II: Theme 4: Pandemic ESCAPE: Environmental Surveillance Center for Assessing Pathogen Emergence SYNOPSIS Environmental surveillance has emerged as a tool for surveillance of emerging/re-emerging pathogens, but it has been disproportionately deployed to well-resourced regions due to reliance on complex technologies, stable Internet, and strong logistics networks. To advance environmental surveillance and pandemic preparedness, we will develop, validate, and implement decentralized approaches to WBE that are more setting appropriate, enabling collection of data anywhere, anytime, by anyone. We anticipate that this “point-of-care” (POC) approach to environmental surveillance will revolutionize the field, similar to the impact of clinical POC diagnostics. To achieve this goal, we will create many convergent “cores”, including: Engineering Core (EC)–University of Kentucky: The goal of the EC is to develop and optimize environmental surveillance devices and protocols. The EC will assemble and evaluate entire sample-to-answer workflows to ensure integrated systems perform as intended. It will also engage in bridge-scale manufacturing, both as a prelude to productization and to supply the other project cores/collaborators with enough devices to perform their roles. The EC will work with other cores and collaborators to evaluate and refine designs. Community Science and Engagement Core (CSEC)–Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium: The CSEC will unite researchers with expertise in anthropology, communication, education, implementation science, policy, environmental studies, ethics, and epidemiology in the study of human behavior and the environment on pandemic emergence, response, and mitigation. CSEC objectives will include 1) understanding community resiliencies to pandemic threats; 2) designing effective pandemic communication messaging and strategies; 3) developing innovative citizen scientist pandemic monitoring approaches; and 4) enhancing diverse perspectives by partnering with a broad range of individuals and communities. BIOinformatics Core (BIOC)–Arizona State University: The goal of the BIOC is to support the translation of genomic data into information and knowledge for pandemic response and surveillance in resource-limited settings. This includes the development of bioinformatics pipelines for long-read sequencing or short-read high-throughput sequencing. For translation into practice and sustained utilization, the BIOC will design and implement visualizations that effectively disseminate information to clinicians and public health decision makers. OTHER COMMENTS Our center will work with stakeholders to design processes that will enable the adoption and use of environmental surveillance. We will educate potential users (scientists, public health officials, clinicians, etc.) on the benefits and drawbacks of environmental surveillance and ascertain how we can help to increase penetration, which is necessary to improve the quality of this potentially vital pandemic early warning system. Through our bioinformatics efforts, we hope to expand the capabilities of this early warning system so that scientists and public across the United States (and around the world) can aid in the identification of pathogens of concern before they reach epidemic or pandemic proportions. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic helped pushed these technologies forward at an expedited pace, especially in the realm of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), but now that concerns about the effects of the pandemic are waning, progress will likely slow considerably. We want to help advance the technology and its acceptance across the United States so that we are prepared to address the next pandemic, rather than being reactive. The CDC''s development of the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) was a step in the right direction, but maps of the participants show a heavy concentration of nodes in the Midwest and along the East and West coasts. To make this system more equitable (and more effective), additional nodes are needed (including more rural and international nodes) so that the next potential pandemic can be identified and mitigated earlier. Our hope is that by creating simple technologies, we will necessarily broaden participation in these activities. We will seek to collaborate with individuals (not necessarily just researchers or lab technicians) in low resource settings so that we are responsive to their needs and can develop frameworks, technologies, and protocols that they can use intuitively and cheaply. Their input will help us to deconstruct the barriers that exist to the adoption of environmental surveillance, whether they be political, social, technological, or economic in nature. The educational component of our activities will focus on raising awareness in the K-12 education system to inspire the next generation of environmental surveillance scientists and technicians and on creating a current generation of graduate students and post-doctoral researchers that focus on these important issues.