A diagnostic accelerator has been launched to strengthen the UK’s pandemic preparedness and response.
The programme, from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) aims to improve the speed at which new and existing tests, such as lateral flow tests, can be made ready at rapid scale.
The UKHSA said work was already underway to identify gaps in diagnostic capabilities, and that new partnerships would be created to prioritise the development of more tests for pathogens with the greatest pandemic and epidemic ‘potential’.
The programme will evaluate different solutions for diagnosis, pathogen evolution and surveillance. It will also evaluate if mpox lateral flow tests could be used by the public in the event of a wider outbreak.
Dame Professor Jenny Harries, UKHSA chief executive, said: ‘We are working constantly to ensure the right defences are in place for when the UK faces the next pandemic threat. Having world leading testing and diagnostic infrastructure in place is a critical part of this.
‘The diagnostic accelerator will help keep us at the forefront of innovation and ensure that the UK is a step ahead when it comes to tackling a wide range of pandemic and epidemic threats.’
Dr Isabel Oliver, UKHSA chief scientific officer, said: ‘The diagnostic accelerator is a vital part of our pandemic and epidemic preparedness, ensuring we have the diagnostic capabilities and tests ready to go when new infectious diseases begin to threaten the safety of the country.
‘As part of this, we will work with industry and other partners to ensure that diagnostic tests are rapidly available, to help us tackle the spread of disease faster and more effectively.
‘We saw during the Covid-19 pandemic how important testing was for controlling and slowing the spread of the disease, and by focusing on speeding up the rollout of diagnostics and testing we can ensure we have a running start when dealing with the next threat to the UK’s health.’
It comes as an ‘early warning system’ for future pandemics was announced in November by the Department of Health and Social Care. The surveillance system will be created via the expansion of NHS England’s respiratory metagenomics programme, led by Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
Also in November, former health secretary, Sir Sajid Javid, said at the Covid-19 Inquiry that the primary care system was ‘not fit for purpose’ and that more should be done to ensure areas of health prevention and promotion are ‘better addressed’.
