Detection overview

Detection deep-dive

Option 1: Country-specific biosurveillance

Option 2: Metagenomic sequencing technology roadmap

Option 3: Rapid individual testing

AI x Biosecurity

Prevention overview

Prevention deep-dive

Option 1: AI safeguards

Option 2: DNA synthesis screening

Option 3: Preventing irrevocable bioweapon uplift

Option 4: Governance of risky biological research

Intro

The history of pandemics and bioweapons

The future of pandemics and bioweapons?

Towards a pandemic-proof world

[Optional] Biology 101 for biosecurity

[Optional] Biosecurity overviews

Rapid MCM overview

Rapid MCM development deep-dive

Option 1: Faster R&D

Option 2: Clinical trials innovation

Option 3: Better financing and procurement

Option 4: Faster manufacturing and delivery

Your next steps

Choose your focus

Biosecurity project ideas

Create your 1-pager

Next steps: Technical fellowships

Next steps: Policy fellowships

Next steps: Career resources

Next steps: Programs

NPI overview

NPI deep-dive

Option 1: Pandemic-proof PPE

Option 2: Biohardening indoor spaces

**Medical countermeasures (MCMs) such as vaccines and therapeutics are often more pathogen-specific than NPIs, but may be required to exit the pandemic (as was the case with COVID vaccines).**

When it comes to developing and deploying MCMs, time is of the essence. The COVID vaccine was the [fastest ever](https://ourworldindata.org/vaccination#vaccine-technology-has-advanced-dramatically) from discovery of the virus to development and deployment, but there is more we can do to shorten this for future pandemics.

‘Broad-spectrum’ vaccines and therapeutics, effective against multiple species and strains of pathogens, could be developed, tested and stockpiled ahead of time. ‘Platform’ vaccines (such as mRNA vaccines) can be quickly repurposed for novel pathogens when we identify them. Innovations in clinical trial design could cut the time required to test new MCMs before health authorities are confident to safely deploy them to the population.

When thinking about MCMs, we must keep in mind the differences between natural pandemics and sophisticated bioattacks. Vaccines are one of the most important lifesaving technologies ever against many natural diseases, but there remain diseases such as HIV for which we lack effective vaccines despite decades of trying.

We must assume that a highly competent adversary is unlikely to attack using a pandemic-class agent that could be blocked by an existing broad-spectrum vaccine, and would be capable of making multiple variants requiring distinct targeted vaccines. In this scenario, we may need to lean more heavily on the physical barriers discussed in unit 4.


It's likely that we won't have effective medical countermeasures ready to go from day 0 of a pandemic.
Even if we do, we need to test their efficacy and safety against the novel pathogen, and then deploy them around the world. This is much more than just an R&D problem!


Pick 1 of the following 4 topics to dive deeper into. We've given you some resources on the following pages as a starting point.

- **Option 1: Faster R&D**
- **Option 2: Clinical trials innovation**
- **Option 3: Better financing and procurement**
- **Option 4: Faster manufacturing and delivery**

You will bring the results of your research to share in your group discussion.


Biosecurity

Rapid MCM development deep-dive

Exercises