Pathogen Genomics Marks 2 Years with WHO Network

The Centre for Pathogen Genomics is a leading academic and training hub for infectious diseases genomics in the Asia-Pacific region at the University of Melbourne, based at the Doherty Institute. The Centre's mission is to build collaborative partnerships to support accessible pathogen genomics globally, through translational research and research training; and also to provide support for genomics-informed infectious disease surveillance and response, through strategy development, capacity building and training.

As one of the earliest members of the International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) , the Centre has contributed expertise in governance, evaluation, epidemiology, bioinformatics and public health. The ISPN was established in 2023 to help protect people from infectious disease threats through the power of pathogen genomics. By connecting countries and regions, the network will strengthen sample analysis to inform public health decisions and provide a platform for enhanced data sharing.

The partnership with IPSN has driven new collaborations, linkage with the global genomics community, capacity building and training initiatives, and development of key resources in the IPSN toolkit. Furthermore, the Centre co-hosted the IPSN's 2024 Global Partners Forum in Bangkok. The event showcased the significant contribution of the ISPN towards improved access to genomics, and promotion of locallyled and globally supported initiatives to enhance genomic surveillance.

Group work at a workshop, as a participant takes notes on whiteboard

Sustainable Training and Implementation Workshop hosted by the Centre for Pathogen Geonomics and the IPSN in Bangkok, November 2024. More than 70 stakeholders from WHO, donors and funders, regional networks, public health and research institutions across the Asia-Pacific and globally participated in discussions on best practice approaches for harmonized and sustainable public health training and implementation.

One of the Centre's key activities with the IPSN has been the development of a Monitoring and Evaluation Tool (M&E) for the IPSN toolkit, Capacity Strengthening Framework for Pathogen Genomics Informed Surveillance Systems. The M&E Tool is aligned with other IPSN tools and resources, and structured to support implementation of WHO's Global Genomic Surveillance Strategy . It aims to provide countries, funders, and implementers with a standardized approach to systematically assess progress towards implementing the established goals for a public health pathogen genomics surveillance system.

At the core of the tool is a capacity matrix, which measures progress across different components of pathogen genomics surveillance. Structured into sections, each contains a series of scored items covering:

genomics-informed surveillance and policy
specimen selection, collection and referral
laboratory workflow
bioinformatics and analysis
reporting and communication
implementation in public health practice.

The development of this new tool has been a collaborative effort with a number of global leaders in genomics such as the UK Health Security Agency, Robert Koch Institute, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). Each has provided invaluable time, expertise and experience to the M&E Technical Working Group.

Bacterial genomics sequence training delivered by the Centre at the Medical Research Institute, Sri Lanka as part of the 'Piloting the application of pathogen genomics for surveillance of food borne and AMR disease' project awarded in the 1^st IPSN Catalytic Grant round (April 2025).

"Collaboration is central to everything we do," said Professor Ben Howden, Co-director of the Centre Pathogen Genomics. "It drives innovation, fosters meaningful results, and strengthens global impact. Since its inception, the IPSN has been a leading force in expanding outreach, engagement, and partnerships across the genomics community at national, regional, and global levels. We are proud to have supported IPSN in mobilizing global resources, knowledge, and expertise to build more sustainable and resilient global health surveillance systems using pathogen genomics. We extend our congratulations to IPSN on its 2-year Anniversary. The dedication to knowledge sharing, capacity building, and advancing research and public health partnerships have strengthened our collective mission in ensuring equitable and sustainable access to genomic technology, tools, and resources for all. We look forward to another transformative year with the team."

Starting mid-2025, the Centre will commence piloting of the M&E Tool with support from the IPSN, and WHO regional and country offices. The purpose of the pilot is to further refine the user experience and improve functionality and applicability of the tool across contexts, through an iterative feedback and improvement process. Importantly, it will demonstrate how the M&E Tool is used across diverse countries, sectors and organizations with varying levels of genomics capacity.

Workshop participants posing for a group shot

Sustainable Training and Implementation Workshop: Asia-Pacific held in Bangkok, Thailand and jointly hosted by the Centre for Pathogen Genomics, IPSN and Wellcome Connecting Science (November 2024).

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