Bird flu newly appearing in U.S. dairy cows and infecting a person in Texas – only the second such human case in the nation – is a clear reminder that we must be ready to combat constantly evolving infectious disease threats.
We are lucky – this time. This bird flu is not showing signs of human-to-human transmission and the commercial pasteurized milk supply and related dairy products have been tested and proven safe. But the virus has expanded its abilities to infect yet another species, giving it more chances to evolve and adapt.
We are not prepared for another pandemic. We lack a comprehensive arsenal of diagnostics, therapies and vaccines that could quickly be adapted and manufactured for the most likely culprits – viruses with pandemic potential, such as the circulating avian influenza subtype. Research and development around these pathogens are almost always reactionary; only once an outbreak occurs does funding flow and widespread development of medical countermeasures begin. This is too late and will cost far more lives and economic pain than strategically investing in preparation now.
It is time for a new approach to infectious disease innovation that incentivizes solving the most pressing health issues of our day. We need to fast-track discoveries from the lab into approved diagnostics, therapies and vaccines. We need mission-driven science.
Think of this approach as a permanent version of Operation Warp Speed but with a key difference: the private sector, not the government, in the lead.
Under Operation Warp Speed, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense spearheaded private-public partnerships that ultimately spent more than $18 billion to accelerate the process of developing, manufacturing and delivering COVID-19 vaccines. While it wasn’t perfect, it was a remarkable feat: government and industry came together to move vaccine candidates efficiently and safely to market in record time, without skipping any required steps for FDA approval.
It still took too long.
An estimated 3 million people worldwide had died by the time the first COVID vaccines became widely available.
Rather than ramping up an Operation Warp Speed every time an outbreak occurs, we need an improved approach. One that is marked by hyper-focused, sustained, cross-sector collaboration that develops health solutions before they are needed. One that can move ideas and innovations forward in days, not years.
To some, the idea of collaborative, mission-driven science may not sound profoundly different from our current system for biomedical research and development – but it is.
Currently, individual researchers must constantly compete for funding to study a disease or investigate a potential solution, which slows research and stifles innovation. They may patent a discovery, but too often, those patents sit on shelves and collect dust. Moving through the development process and clinical testing is extremely time-consuming and expensive. Full research and development of new drugs or vaccines takes, on average, 10 years and $1 billion. Pharmaceutical companies are often beholden to shareholders and hesitant to pursue ventures without clear returns. Too many good ideas die in the lab.
Mission-driven science bridges the gap by blowing up current divisions and funding structures. It brings together brilliant basic researchers working with industry leaders in a nonprofit setting designed for the public good. A setting that can execute quickly, nimbly and with an entrepreneurial spirit, all guided by the mission to protect human health.
Without such an established enterprise operating in between infectious disease outbreaks, during so-called “steady state” mode, we will remain unprepared and unable to pivot effectively when the next pandemic hits.
Operation Warp Speed deserves great credit. It produced the most rapid vaccine rollout in history, but we must do better. We can move faster. The research and technology exist, but what about the will and foresight?
We know what is possible when the scientific community comes together with visionary focus: build a bomb, go to the moon, deliver a vaccine. Decades of fundamental research laid the groundwork for these breakthroughs – and of course, this necessary research must continue. Mission-driven science establishes the dedicated, integrated structure needed to accelerate fundamental discoveries from the lab to real health solutions – before the next bird flu or other crisis arises.
Dr. Larry Schlesinger is a physician scientist who has studied airborne infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, for more than 35 years. He is President and CEO of Texas Biomedical Research Institute, a nonprofit research institute in San Antonio focused on eradicating the threat of infectious diseases. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.
