The UK government has announced plans to form a new partnership with Genomics England, UK Biobank, NHS England and Oxford Nanopore.
The aim is to create the world's first real-time surveillance system to monitor the threat of future pandemics, prevent disease and protect the public.
Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at the UK Health Security Agency, said 'Early detection is absolutely crucial in enabling us to respond effectively to any emerging pathogen. The UK already has a wealth of expertise in genomic surveillance, and this programme will build on that expertise and enable us to bring our resources and capability to tackle developing threats at greater speed. Enhancing the capacity for the NHS to determine new and emerging pathogens causing severe acute respiratory infections will improve the detection and emergence of infections.'
