1. The Origins and Future of Sentinel: An Early-Warning System for Pandemic Preemption and Response
- Author
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John Aiyepada, Michael Gbakie, Sameed Siddiqui, Hayden C. Metsky, Foday Alhasan, Johnson C. Okolie, Amber Carter, Bronwyn MacInnis, Christopher Tomkins-Tinch, Airende Michael, Marzieh Ezzaty Mirhashemi, Parvathy Nair, A.R. Ndiaye, D. Asogun, Daniel J. Park, Siham Elhamoumi, Awa B. Deme, Adrianne Gladden-Young, Brittany A. Petros, Omigie Omoregie, Alan Ricks, Dolo Nosamiefan, Luis M. Branco, Amy Gaye, Kayla G. Barnes, Adeyemi T. Kayode, Osiemi Blessing, Yolanda Botti-Lodovico, Michael J Butts, Jonathan Jackson, Augustine Goba, Nell G Bond, Christian T. Happi, Anika Vinze, Erica Normandin, Ben Fry, Chinedu A Ugwu, Okonofua Grace Naregose, Katherine C. DeRuff, Matthew R. Bauer, Peter O. Okokhere, Robert F. Garry, Andrés Colubri, Megan E. Vodzak, Matthew Stremlau, Anne W. Rimoin, Philomena Eromon, Samar Mehta, Daba Zoumarou, Oyewale Tomori, John Demby Sandi, Haja Isatta Wurie, Aida Sadikh Badiane, Tolla Ndiaye, Mouhamad Sy, Sylvanus Okogbenin, Veronica J. Koroma, Allison R. Smither, Mambu Momoh, Abechi Priscilla, Emily J Engel, Paul E. Oluniyi, Judith U. Oguzie, Donald S. Grant, Molly Kemball, Anthony A. Philippakis, Idowu B. Olawoye, Katherine Siddle, Monica Schreiber, Chloe K. Boehm, Mary Houghton, Dada Ireti Victoria, Testimony J. Olumade, Younousse Diédhiou, Fehintola V. Ajogbasile, Mariétou Faye Paye, Ebo Ohomoime Benevolence, Antoinette R. Bell-Kareem, Ikponmwosa Odia, Daouda Ndiaye, Pardis C. Sabeti, Jessica N. Uwanibe, Mame Cheikh Seck, Oladele Oluwafemi Ayodeji, Kayvon Modjarrad, Kristian G. Andersen, Jeremy A. Johnson, Ngayo Sy, Sahr M. Gevao, Dylan Kotliar, Akhilomen Patience Edamhande, Stephen F. Schaffner, Anise N Happi, George O. Akpede, Simbirie Jalloh, Matthew L. Boisen, Muoebonam Ekene Benard, Sebastian V Agignoae, Nicole L. Welch, Ojide Chiedozie Kingsley, Mouhamadou Mansour Ndiaye, Gabrielle Gionet, Lansana Kanneh, Onikepe A. Folarin, Eghosasere Anthonia Uyigue, Jules F. Gomis, Chikwe Ihekwuazu, Mosoka Fallah, John S. Schieffelin, Cameron Myhrvold, and Christopher Ojemiega Iruolagbe
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medicine.medical_specialty ,History ,infectious disease ,Population ,Preemption ,Nigeria ,Disaster Planning ,LARGE ,N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases ,medicine.disease_cause ,Microbiology ,Article ,diagnostic tools ,pandemic preemption ,pandemic response ,Virology ,Pandemic ,medicine ,Humans ,Lassa virus ,education ,Lassa fever ,Pandemics ,education.field_of_study ,Polymorphism, Genetic ,business.industry ,Public health ,bioinformatics ,Public relations ,medicine.disease ,QR1-502 ,genomic surveillance ,Africa, Western ,Infectious Diseases ,Infectious disease (medical specialty) ,Ebola ,Receptors, Virus ,Early warning system ,business - Abstract
While investigating a signal of adaptive evolution in humans at the gene LARGE, we encountered an intriguing finding by Dr. Stefan Kunz that the gene plays a critical role in Lassa virus binding and entry. This led us to pursue field work to test our hypothesis that natural selection acting on LARGE—detected in the Yoruba population of Nigeria—conferred resistance to Lassa Fever in some West African populations. As we delved further, we conjectured that the “emerging” nature of recently discovered diseases like Lassa fever is related to a newfound capacity for detection, rather than a novel viral presence, and that humans have in fact been exposed to the viruses that cause such diseases for much longer than previously suspected. Dr. Stefan Kunz’s critical efforts not only laid the groundwork for this discovery, but also inspired and catalyzed a series of events that birthed Sentinel, an ambitious and large-scale pandemic prevention effort in West Africa. Sentinel aims to detect and characterize deadly pathogens before they spread across the globe, through implementation of its three fundamental pillars: Detect, Connect, and Empower. More specifically, Sentinel is designed to detect known and novel infections rapidly, connect and share information in real time to identify emerging threats, and empower the public health community to improve pandemic preparedness and response anywhere in the world. We are proud to dedicate this work to Stefan Kunz, and eagerly invite new collaborators, experts, and others to join us in our efforts.
- Published
- 2021