Category Research project
  • Mikrobiologie

SARS-CoV2 Research Integration and Preparedness

Project status
Completed
Project start
Mar 2021
Project end
Mar 2023
Acronym
EJP COVRIN
Department
Biologische Sicherheit
Website
https://onehealthejp.eu/jip-covrin/

Description and Objective

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has since spread rapidly, evolving into a full-blown pandemic. This Covid19 pandemic has an unprecedented societal and economic impact. Therefore, the One Health EJP Project Management Team (PMT) on behalf of its partners has decided that they should join forces to combat Covid19 and raise preparedness for future coronavirus outbreaks. A main focus of this OHEJP initiative will be to reinforce collaboration and integration of research activities by means of a Joint Integrative Project (JIP) on SARS-CoV2. This JIP aims to integrate coronavirus research activities of all OHEJP partners. The project will have two main operational objectives: The first one will be to identify the drivers for the emergence and spread of SARS-CoV2. The second one will be to generate data and build models for risk assessment of SARS-CoV2. Besides a work package on coordination and communication, including activities to connect with stakeholders. The COVRIN integrative research activities have been organised across the following 4 workpackages with a main focus on animals and the environment: i) research on detection of SARS-CoV2 in animal species and the environment, ii) research on SARS-CoV2 molecular and biological characterization, iii) SARS-CoV2 surveillance and risk assessment, focussed on the animal human interface, and iv) Coronavirus preparedness The overall aim of the COVRIN project will be to generate and share data of integrative research activities on virus-host interactions, virus evolution and drivers for emergence to support risk assessment and risk modelling, in order to increase the preparedness for future Coronavirus outbreaks.

Result

The objective of the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment subproject was to investigate the application potential of data and research outcomes generated within COVRIN project for risk assessments that take virus emergence and evolution into account. Such assessments could help to improve surveillance and control strategies.To accomplish the task the data and results from COVRIN WPs 1, 2, 3 and 4 were analysed on their potential to be integrated into future risk assessments.First, a literature review was conducted to compare existing risk assessment frameworks for their potential in assessing zoonotic hazards in a One Health approach. As the analysis revealed that none of the existing frameworks were truly capable of accomplishing this, a specific One Health risk assessment framework that is capable of assessing risks related to animal coronavirus evolution were established. This framework includes 5 steps: Hazard identification, Hazard ecology assessment, ExposureExposureTo glossary assessment, Consequences assessment, and Risk estimation. Respectively, these steps aim i) to  identify  the studied  hazard and its potential of causing adverse effects, ii) to describe the biological pathways necessary for the hazard to be introduced in an animal population and to evaluate the spread to different animal populations and species, iii) to describe the pathways leading to the exposure of the population of interest by the hazard, iv) to describe the relationship between the exposure of different hosts to different virus stains and the consequences of such exposure, and v) to measure the risk associated to coronaviruses' evolution in the hosts. The developed risk assessment framework can be further developed and extended to other hazards where animals, humans, and the environment have complex interactions.A second objective was to map how the COVRIN project findings could contribute to future risk assessments of animal coronavirus evolution. A mind map was created to describe how specific results from the COVRIN project and other publicly available resources could be integrated and feed the previously developed One Health risk assessment framework.The deliverables of subtask 4.3.4 can be found under: „https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8314343“
Type of project

Third-party funded project

Research focus

Gesundheit von Mensch, Tier und Umwelt (One Health) / Expositionsabschätzung und Bewertung biologischer Risiken

Organisational units and partners

Lead specialist group: Warenkettenmodellierungen und Künstliche Intelligenz (1IZ) External partner: French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety , AGES - Österreichische Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit GmbH, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Bundesforschungsinstitut für Tiergesundheit, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Animal & Plant Health Agency, National Institute of Agricultural Research, National Institut for Agricultural and Veterinary Research, Portugal, Complutense University of Madrid, Italian National Institute of Health, Sciensano, University of Surrey, Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna, Institut für Tierseuchenbekämpfung der Abruzzen und Molise 'G. Caporale', National Veterinary Research Institute , Swedish National Veterinary Institute, Wageningen University & Research, National Institute For Public Health and The Environment

Funding body and grant number

Europäische Union
Grant Agreement 773830

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