Let’s get serious about preventing the next pandemic

I recently argued that it’s time for our community to be more ambitious.

And when it comes to preventing pandemics, it’s starting to happen.

Andrew Snyder-Beattie is a programme officer at Open Philanthropy, a foundation which has more than $1 billion available to fund big pandemic-prevent projects. He and Ethan Alley (co-CEO at Alvea) recently wrote an exciting list of projects they’d like to see get founded, including:

• An international early detection centre
• Actually good PPE
• Rapid and broad-spectrum antivirals and vaccines
• A bioweapons watchdog
• Self-sterilising buildings
• Refuges

One of these ideas is already happening. Alvea aims to produce a cheap, flexible vaccine platform using a new type of vaccine (DNA vaccines), starting with an Omicron-specific shot. In two months, they hired 35 people and started preclinical trials.

The above are technical solutions, which make it possible for a relatively small number of people to make a significant difference to the problem. But policy change is also an important angle.

Guarding Against Pandemics was an effort to lobby the US government for $30 billion in funding for pandemic prevention. Unfortunately the relevant bill didn’t pass, but the sum at stake made it clearly worth trying.

Efforts in the UK might be more successful — the country is currently refreshing its biosecurity policy.

If you might be able to help make big biosecurity projects happen:

• Get in touch with Andrew about working on large biosecurity projects.
• If you’re interested in helping on UK policy, check out the Centre for Long-Term Resilience.
• You can also find jobs in biosecurity on our job board, learn more about the field, or speak to our advising team for help making a transition.