Infectious diseases such as typhoid fever, tuberculosis and dengue fever continue to take a heavy toll across the Asia-Pacific, a region home to over half the world’s population. At the same time, the rise of drug-resistant pathogens poses a significant threat to public health globally, as infections become harder to treat.
This is where rapid genomic sequencing comes in.
Rapid genomic sequencing is a crucial tool for disease surveillance, used to identify pathogens, track their spread, monitor their evolution and detect mutations, including those linked to drug resistance. This a cost-effective and powerful technology to inform public health responses and protect communities.
The Centre for Pathogen Genomics (CPG) at the Doherty Institute works with regional partners to advance pathogen genomics programs in Asia-Pacific. Under the Australia Awards Fellowship program, the CPG recently hosted 11 public health professionals from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Fiji, Malaysia and the Philippines for an intensive five-week training program in genomics-informed surveillance and diagnosis of infectious diseases.
The University of Melbourne’s Dr Lisa Ioannidis, Manager of the CPG at the Doherty Institute, said the future of public health depends on skilled professionals who can use advanced genomic tools to tackle emerging infectious diseases.
“The overarching goal of the program is to develop the next generation of leaders in public health pathogen genomics by providing training that not only enhances technical skills but also strengthens collaboration across the Asia Pacific,” said Dr Ioannidis.
The training provided hands-on coaching in laboratory procedures for whole-genome sequencing of bacterial and viral pathogens, as well as bioinformatics and epidemiological analysis for interpreting and reporting sequencing data.
To further support their skill development, Fellows were paired with a CPG senior academic mentor in a related research area.
Building on the pathogen genomics expertise gained during COVID-19, the 11 scientists will now apply their newly developed skills and knowledge in their home-countries, strengthening infectious disease surveillance programs and improving national and regional health outcomes.
Expressing enthusiasm about the Fellowship’s impact, Ferissa Ablola from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in the Philippines said, “I’m excited to share the knowledge and skills that I have acquired with my colleagues and work to apply innovations within our organisation.”
