With the World Health Organization (WHO) recently adopting an agreement on pandemic preparedness, we spoke with John Sillitoe, Director of the Sanger Institute’s Genomic Surveillance Unit, to find out more about the role data and genomics can play in preventing future outbreaks.
Genomic data are already transforming how we understand infectious diseases, but the true potential lies in how data are used. A thoughtful, integrated approach to data — involving not just collection, but timely analysis, sharing, and application — will be key to strengthening public health systems before the next pandemic strikes. At the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Genomic Surveillance Unit (GSU) is contributing to this goal by supporting data-informed public health responses through collaborative research and capacity-building projects.
Lessons from a century of pandemics
Consider two major respiratory pandemics, a century apart: the Spanish flu in 1918 and COVID-19 in 2019. Both pandemics caused widespread illness and death, but the differences in response to them highlight the significant progress science and public health have made.
When the Spanish flu emerged, the virus responsible was not identified until 15 years later, and vaccines were only developed after the pandemic had ended. In contrast, the virus that causes COVID-19 was sequenced within weeks, and vaccines began distribution within a year. This difference underscores how technological advances and coordinated scientific efforts have accelerated our ability to understand and respond to new threats.
Yet, scientific progress alone is not enough. During a pandemic, decision-making depends on many moving parts including governance, data sharing, health system capacity, and public trust. Despite faster science and data generation during the COVID-19 pandemic, the global death toll remained devastating. This emphasised a critical challenge that remains: how do we better integrate scientific insights into timely, equitable, and effective public health actions?
Credit: Jon Farrow, Communications Lead at the Genomic Surveillance Unit, Wellcome Sanger Institute