News Release

Will genomics help prevent the next pandemic?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PLOS

This week, the Public Library of Science, an open-access publisher, presents the "Genomics of Emerging Infectious Disease," a collection of essays, perspectives, and reviews that explores how genomics—with all its associated tools and techniques—can provide insights into our understanding of emerging infectious disease.

As pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza (commonly referred to as swine flu) continues to spread around the globe, people want to know if this flu poses more of a threat than other seasonal flu strains, how fast it's spreading (and where), and what can be done to contain it. The increasing speed at which complete genome sequences and other genome-scale data can be generated provides tremendous opportunities to address these questions by identifying the molecular changes in disease agents such as influenza viruses that will enable us to track their spread and evolution and to generate the vaccines and drugs necessary to combat them. The "Genomics of Emerging Infectious Disease" collection discusses the challenges involved and how scientists and public health professionals might take advantage of these opportunities and advances to prevent the next pandemic. (See the link at the bottom of the release for a press preview PDF containing all the a rticles in the collection;.when the embargo ends the collection will be available at http://ploscollections.org/emerginginfectiousdisease/)

Emerging infectious diseases are caused by a wide range of organisms, but they are perhaps best typified by zoonotic viral diseases, which cross from animal to human hosts and can have a devastating impact on human health. These zoonotic diseases include monkeypox, Hendra virus, Nipah virus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), in addition to influenza A and the lentiviruses (HIV) that cause AIDS. As Albert Osterhaus and colleagues from the Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, point out in their article in the collection, the apparent increased transmission of pathogens from animals to humans over recent decades can be attributed to the unintended consequences of globalization as well as environmental factors and changes in agricultural practices.

Articles in the collection also shine a spotlight on specific pathogens, some familiar and widespread, such as the influenza A virus, some "reemerging," such as the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex that causes tuberculosis, and some identified only relatively recently, such as the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is associated with peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. Others discuss the broader implications of genomics research in this area, such as what it means for researchers in developing countries or for our biosecurity. As Jacques Ravel and colleagues from the US University of Maryland School of Medicine note, genomics can and should be used proactively to build our preparedness for and responsiveness to biological threats.

The collection is a collaborative effort that combines financial support from Google.org [http://www.google.org/predict.html] with PLoS's editorial independence and rigor and the expert opinion of leading researchers from several different disciplines. Rajesh Gupta from Stanford University, and colleagues provide Google.org's perspective and vision for how systematic application of genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics to infectious diseases could predict and prevent the next pandemic. To realize this vision, they urge the community to unite under an "Infectious Disease Genomics Project," analogous to the Human Genome Project.

Jonathan Eisen, a Professor at the University of California, whose laboratory is in the UC Davis Genome Center, is the Editor of this PLoS collection, which includes 14 articles—all publishing on 26 October 2009—from six different PLoS journals (PLoS Biology, PLoS Medicine, PLoS Computational Biology, PLoS Genetics, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, and PLoS Pathogens), reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of the topic.

Many scientific journals produce special issues on a topic of interest for their audiences. However, open-access publishing, such as that done by the Public Library of Science, makes it possible to have such a large multidisciplinary cross-journal collection simultaneously available online for unrestricted reuse, regardless of venue (see also the Audio Interview that accompanies the collection: http://www.plos.org/press/plos-emerginginfectiousdisease-audio.mp3). As outlined in the collection's editorial published in PLoS Biology, this collection will add to other "open science" activities that have helped provide insights into infectious disease more quickly than would have been thought feasible only a few years ago.

The faster, cheaper, and more openly we can distribute the discoveries of science, the better for scientific progress and public health. Managing the threat of novel, re-emerging, and longstanding infectious diseases is challenging enough even without barriers to scientific research.

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Related links:

- Press only preview PDF of the Collection (active now): http://www.plos.org/press/plos-collection-emerging-infectious-disease.pdf

- Link to the final online location of the Collection (active at 9AM Pacific on 26th October; please use this link in your coverage): http://ploscollections.org/emerginginfectiousdisease/

See the full list of articles and final online locations at the bottom of the release.

Press only preview of the Audio Interview (active now): http://www.plos.org/press/plos-emerginginfectiousdisease-audio.mp3

Link to final online Audio Interview (active 9AM Pacific on the 26th October): http://ploscollections.org/downloads/emerginginfectiousdisease.mp3

Link to Google.org Predict and Prevent http://www.google.org/predict.html

CONTACT:
Liz Allen,
Director of Marketing and Business Development,
San Francisco,
USA
Tel: +1 415 624 1218
lallen@plos.org

Full list of articles in the Collection and final online locations (active 9AM PST on the 26th October):

  • PLoS Biology Editorial: Eisen J, MacCallum CJ (2009) Genomics of Emerging Infectious Disease: A PLoS Collection. PLoS Biol 7(10): e1000224. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000224

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.1000224

  • PLoS Medicine Essay: Coloma J, Harris E (2009) Molecular Genomic Approaches to Infectious Diseases in Resource-Limited Settings. PLoS Med 6(10): e1000142. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000142

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000142

  • PLoS Biology Perspective: Gupta R, Michalski MH, Rijsberman FR (2009) Can an Infectious Disease Genomics Project Predict and Prevent the Next Pandemic? PLoS Biol 7(10): e1000219. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000219

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.1000219

  • PLoS Biology Perspective: Fricke WF, Rasko DA, Ravel J (2009) The Role of Genomics in the Identification, Prediction, and Prevention of Biological Threats. PLoS Biol 7(10): e1000217.doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000217

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.1000217

  • PLoS Computational Biology Perspective: Holmes EC, Grenfell BT (2009) Discovering the Phylodynamics of RNA Viruses. PLoS Comput Biol 5(10): e1000505. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000505

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000505

  • PLoS Computational Biology Perspective: Berglund EC, Nystedt B, Andersson SGE (2009) Computational Resources in Infectious Disease:Limitations and Challenges. PLoS Comput Biol 5(10): e1000481.doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000481

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000481

  • PLoS Computational Biology Perspective: Van Voorhis WC, Hol WGJ, Myler PJ, Stewart LJ (2009) The Role of Medical Structural Genomics in Discovering New Drugs for Infectious Diseases. PLoS Comput Biol 5(10): e1000530. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000530

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000530

  • PLoS Genetics Review: Seib KL, Dougan G, Rappuoli R (2009) The Key Role of Genomics in Modern Vaccine and Drug Design for Emerging Infectious Diseases. PLoS Genet 5(10): e1000612. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1000612

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pgen.1000612

  • PLoS Genetics Review: Falush D (2009) Toward the Use of Genomics to Study Microevolutionary Change in Bacteria. PLoS Genet 5(10): e1000627. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1000627

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pgen.1000627

  • PLoS Pathogens Review: Haagmans BL, Andeweg AC, Osterhaus ADME (2009) The Application of Genomics to Emerging Zoonotic Viral Diseases. PLoS Pathog 5(10): e1000557. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000557

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000557

  • PLoS Pathogens Review: McHardy AC, Adams B (2009) The Role of Genomics in Tracking theEvolution of Influenza A Virus. PLoS Pathog 5(10): e1000566. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000566

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000566

  • PLoS Pathogens Review: Comas I, Gagneux S (2009) The Past and Future of Tuberculosis Research. PLoS Pathog 5(10): e1000600. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000600

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000600

  • PLoS Pathogens Review:Dorer MS, Talarico S, Salama NR (2009) Helicobacter pylori's Unconventional Role in Health and Disease. PLoS Pathog 5(10): e1000544. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000544

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000544

  • PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Review: Brindley PJ, Mitreva M, Ghedin E, Lustigman S(2009) Helminth Genomics: The Implications for Human Health. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 3(10): e538. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000538

    In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article (the link will be live as soon as the embargo ends): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000538

About the Public Library of Science

The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more information, visit http://www.plos.org.


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