From 14 to 16 June, the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), together with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), organised a joint capacity-building course on virus detection and biosecurity in the framework of Article X of the BWC at the ICGEB’s headquarters in Trieste, Italy.
Under Article X of the BWC, the States Parties shall cooperate in contributing with other States or international organisations to further the development and application of scientific discoveries in the field of biology for prevention of disease, or for other peaceful purposes.
The course focused on human viral diseases with a pandemic potential. It included lectures in molecular virology, genomic surveillance, detection of emerging viruses, modern diagnostic technologies including DNA sequencing and their cost effectiveness, antiviral therapy, vaccination as well as biosecurity and bioethics. During the sessions in the ICGEB laboratories, participants practiced the application of molecular assay and modern sequencing methods for virus detection through hands-on exercises. The course was further enriched by experts from the ICGEB scientific partners’ network in Africa and Eastern Europe who shared their experiences on establishing diagnostic laboratories and implementing sequencing techniques during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cameroon, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Moldova, Nigeria and Slovenia, respectively.
