Over the course of a two-day forum this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) brought together leading health experts and major research funders to discuss COVID-19.
They addressed the novel coronavirus from all angles: assessing current knowledge, identifying gaps, and collaborating on the acceleration of priority research intended to stop it and future outbreaks alike.
“This outbreak is a test of solidarity — political, financial and scientific,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “We need to come together to fight a common enemy that does not respect borders, ensure that we have the resources necessary to bring this outbreak to an end, and bring our best science to the forefront to find shared answers to shared problems. Research is an integral part of the outbreak response. I appreciate the positive response of the research community to join us at short notice and come up with concrete plans and commitment to work together.”
Throughout the gathering, more than 300 scientists and researchers addressed the natural history of COVID-19, its transmission and diagnosis, animal and environmental research into its origins, epidemiological studies, clinical characterization, and management of the disease, prevention and control efforts, R&D for therapeutics and vaccines, research ethics and integration of social sciences for proper response.
The priorities established by the forum will form the foundations for a roadmap of all the research needed and aid researchers and funders in accelerating research response.
“This meeting allowed us to identify the urgent priorities for research,” professor Yazdan Yazdanpanah, chair of the co-hosting Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness, said. “As a group of funders, we will continue to mobilize, coordinate, and align our funding to enable the research needed to tackle this crisis and stop the outbreak, in partnership with WHO. Equitable access – making sure we share data and reach those most in need, in particular those in lower and middle-income countries, is fundamental to this work, which must be guided by ethical considerations at all times.”