A new programme to evaluate how wastewater monitoring could be used to detect a wider range of dangerous pathogens has been launched today by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Using £1.3m funding from the UK Integrated Security Fund (ISF), UKHSA labs will use wastewater monitoring technologies to detect and identify the genetic material of various viruses, tracking how the amount of virus detected changes over time.
The programme builds on the UK’s existing wastewater surveillance for polio and, if successful, could develop the UK’s capability to detect dangerous diseases such as Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, a severe disease endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and parts of Asia that has never been targeted in wastewater testing.
Creating early warning systems for dangerous viruses
The programme will also explore the potential of wastewater monitoring technologies to create an early warning system for pathogens such as Mpox, West Nile Virus, and Lassa.
Early warning systems could enable the UK to detect and take faster action on outbreaks, which, as seen in the COVID-19 pandemic, is vital for an effective response.
Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: “Our first responsibility is to keep people safe, and the Biological Security Strategy and our new Resilience Action Plan set out how health security is an essential part of our national security.
“This new cutting-edge wastewater monitoring project has the potential to be a valuable tool in our armoury – helping us prepare for and rapidly detect future outbreaks as we learn lessons from the pandemic.”
How wastewater monitoring works to protect public health
Wastewater monitoring has the potential to be central to the UK’s work on pathogens that pose a threat to public health.
It shows great promise as a cost-effective method for quickly detecting a range of emerging pathogens, which is vital for an effective response.
“This is an exciting and important project. The diversity of biological threats is increasing globally, and we must stay at the cutting edge of new technology to detect them,” stated Professor Steven Riley, UKHSA Chief Data Officer.
The UK’s increasing focus on biosecurity and pathogen detection
The UKHSA wastewater monitoring project for pathogen detection is one of several biosecurity projects funded through the UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF) Biosecurity Portfolio, launched by the Cabinet Office earlier this year.
While rapid advances in fields like engineering biology are unlocking better and faster ways to treat infectious diseases, they also present opportunities for state and non-state actors hostile to our values and way of life to harness these new technologies for harmful use.
The portfolio brings together policies and programmes across government that are building the UK’s resilience to a spectrum of biological threats.
It includes an increased focus on R&D in areas such as engineering, biology, and artificial intelligence (AI), to unlock new biosecurity solutions and drive growth in our world-renowned life sciences and biotechnology sectors.
