Cabinet Office
The UK has taken a critical step forward in protecting the nation from increased biological threatstoday (Tuesday 16 January), as it announces a new Strategic Dialogue on Biological Security with the United States.
The partnership buildson existing commitments made in The Atlantic Declaration signed by the UK and US in June 2023, which provides a framework for a modern economic partnership ready to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century and will be key to bolstering the future health and economic resilience of the UK.
Working as equal partners the new Strategic Dialogue reaffirms both nationscommitment to increase collaboration on biosecurity in the following ways:
- Develop a shared understanding of research and development needs, allowing for improved responsiveness to disease outbreaks and supporting early technology assessments.
- Embed aOne Healthapproach to bio-surveillance and biological threat detection, to develop stronger and more interconnected global surveillance capabilities across humans, animals, plants and the environment.
- Pursue the development of new tools and methodologies for microbial forensics and attribution.
- Promote responsible innovation in the biotechnology, health and life sciences sectors, shaping global norms and standards on biosafety and biosecurity.
- Facilitate the development of next-generation vaccines and therapeutics.
- Strengthen collaboration and coordination of efforts to counter biological threats.
Underpinned by the UK Biological Security Strategy and the U.S. Biodefense Strategy, the Strategic Dialogue reflects a shared ambition to protect against a growing and diverse spectrum of biological threats.These risks include future pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, a deliberate attack, as well as those that might arise from misuse of biotechnology.
Announced as part of a joint statement by the UK Cabinet Office and White House National Security Council, the Strategic Dialogue builds on the UKs position as a global thought-leader on biological security and strengthens our commitment to work with like-minded partners to build international consensus and collaboration towards strengthened global resilience and threat deterrence.
In further efforts to strengthen the UKs biosecurity capabilities, the Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden also announced a 2 million uplift for the Guys and St Thomas Respiratory Metagenomics Project, which uses genetic sequencing to detect pathogens and improve patient outcomes while providing crucial data sources to support surveillance of new and emerging diseases.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said:
I am pleased to be announcing this strategic partnership with the UKs closest ally, the United States, which reflects our shared ambitions to build resilience in the face of increased biosecurity threats.
Schemes such as the Respiratory Metagenomics Project are key to increasing our biosecurity,with the work done at Guys and St Thomas serving the dual purpose of improved NHS diagnosis and informing systems to monitor infectious diseases which threaten the health and economic security of our nation.
Professor Ian Abbs, Chief Executive of Guys and St Thomas, said:
As a clinician and CEO, Im excited by the results in our critical care units where, through metagenomic testing, we can now identify and treat infections faster than ever before. Our ambition for diagnosing within hours rather than days is becoming a reality.
The benefits of this investment in the metagenomics service will in time reach beyond our wards to provide this capability at hospitals across England, identifying emerging pathogens at a national scale.
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan said:
We are embracing innovation and cutting-edge science and technology to boost our public services and improve peoples lives. That is why we are scaling up the Respiratory Metagenomics pilot so patients can receive swifter and more precise diagnoses.
Expanding the programme will bring the transformative power of rapid genetic sequencing technology and expertise of scientists to the forefront