Workstreams

As part of the Asia Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Asia PGI), we have established the Asia PGI Academy as a regional centre of excellence for training and outreach. The Academy equips regional partners with the latest advancements in pathogen genomic surveillance including laboratory techniques, bioinformatics, and data for decision making. The Academy supports on-site cross-country learning, tailored outreach by specialised teams to respond to emerging issues, and virtual learning platforms. 

Activities:

• Training modules in dry and wet laboratory settings
• On-site intensive workshops
• Country outreach support
• Virtual learning platform
• Webinars
• Monitoring and evaluation

We have been working to maximise the utility of pathogen genomics beyond surveillance, through the development of tools for pathogen control and prevention. This includes sensitive diagnostics, efficient therapeutics and protective vaccines. By innovating targeted Next-Generation-Sequencing (NGS) workflows, we aim to both improve pathogen detection and bring down costs.  

Asia PGI also offers sponsored short-term visiting scientist placements. These provide scientists from the region with the opportunity to work alongside laboratories in Singapore to undertake cutting-edge translational research in genomics, immunology and new tool development. 

Activities: 

• Multi-country pathogen studies
• Pathogen genomics for clinical diagnostics
• Regional landscape scoping
• NGS-based accelerated monoclonal antibody discovery and development platform
• Visiting scientist placements

This workstream is built around translating the Global Genomic Surveillance Strategy developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) into national health plans. Contextualising the global mandate into local settings is a critical first step in developing national capacity and securing sustainable domestic financing. 

We provide technical support to national health systems such as investment case development to outline the context-specific public health utility of pathogen genomics. This is crucial in enabling policymakers to make strategic decisions on implementing and scaling up cost-effective health interventions and policies. 

Activities:

• National planning support
• Regional working groups on Asian priority pathogens 
• Cross-country learning exchange

We have established an enabling environment for pathogen genomics to address the upstream, cross-cutting challenges that influence the adoption and scale of pathogen genomics. These include emerging legal and regulatory frameworks, federated strategies for data sharing, self-sovereign cloud computing, the sharing of intellectual property, market shaping efforts and addressing supply chain bottlenecks. 

Activities:

• Legal frameworks
• Regulatory systems strengthening 
• Supply chain responsiveness