From 27 to 28 February 2013, the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark hosted an international meeting and welcomed 170 global disease control experts under the Global Microbial Identifier initiative. The initiative is based on ground-breaking new technology that can create a major change in the battle against infections.
About 22% of all deaths are due to an infectious disease, and effective treatment and control are often hampered by delayed diagnostics and a lack of current data on the pathogenic microorganism.
An initiative called Global Microbial Identifier headed by the National Food Institute in cooperation with leading international institutions can revolutionise and remarkably improve the identification of pathogenic bacteria.
Global data collection and analysis system
The background for the initiative is that it is now possible to analyse all hereditary genes and collect so-called genome sequence data from pathogenic bacteria within a very short period of time . The purpose of the initiative is to establish a global system for collecting, sharing, analysing and translating genome sequence data from microorganisms in preparation for national clinical diagnostics and international disease surveillance.
The Global Microbial Identifier initiative is aimed at building an open-source internet based solution that collects and shares data on species, type and antimicrobial resistance based on genome sequence data.
“Within a period of 10 years, the initiative will make it possible within only 24 hours to determine the bacteria or virus that has caused a disease in a patient and thus suggest the optimal treatment. This means faster treatment with the right medicine”, says Director of Institute Jørgen Schlundt, the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, one of the organisers of the meeting.
“The new technology also improves our chances of preventing infectious diseases from spreading, including resistant bacteria. In the long term, the initiative will therefore help us prevent epidemics and significantly reduce disease-related costs to society”, Jørgen Schlundt continues.
Giant leap for developing countries
170 experts from all over the world met at DTU from 27 to 28 February 2013 to shape a strategy and a work plan to ensure the success of the initiative. Director Pathom Sawanpanyalert from the Ministry of Public Health in Thailand took part in the meeting.
“The Global Microbial Identifier initiative has particular potential in developing countries where the new technology can be applied directly as a part of establishing better health and food safety systems. The success of the initiative requires a strong political willingness to prioritise public health in general and infectious diseases in particular as well as to align and share data across national borders”, says Director Pathom Sawanpanyalert from the Ministry of Public Health in Thailand.
Read more
Find more information on the meeting and Global Microbial Identifier at www.g-m-i.org
Contact
Director of Institute Jørgen Schlundt, jors@food.dtu.dk, tel. +45 23 67 47 48