Genomics, DNA vaccines and biosafety laboratories the Italian way against pandemics
After Covid, the keyword is preparedness, preventing and containing crises quickly: this is how Lazio strengthens its role as a life sciences hub
Key points
After Covid, the key word is preparedness. No more delayed emergency management, but structural capacity to prevent, detect and contain new infectious threats quickly. And there is no shortage of threats. From the Nipah virus, listed by the WHO as one of the pathogens with the highest pandemic potential, to the cases of West Nile that return to strike in Europe, and especially in Italia, every summer, and the growing antimicrobial resistance, the biological risk has become a permanent variable in the global scenario.
This is the context for the initiative promoted by the VITARES Association (https://www.vitares.org/it/), which recently brought together institutions, research centres and the biotech industry at the Pontine Technopole in Castel Romano to outline together an Italian and European health security strategy based on technological innovation and advanced infrastructures. The message that has emerged is clear: without high biosafety laboratories (BSL-3), integrated diagnostic networks and flexible vaccination platforms, the response to upcoming emergencies risks being slow and fragmented once again.
Lazio's role in biotech research
Lazio, Italy's leading pharmaceutical export region with around 26% of the national total, aims to strengthen its role as a Life Sciences hub. The Region, which was represented by Roberta Angelilli (Vice-President and Councillor for Economic Development, Lazio Region), Francesco Marcolini (President of Lazio Innova), and Edy Palazzi (Regional Councillor of Lazio), announced investments of over EUR 170 million in STEP funds and venture capital instruments for critical technologies, biotechnologies, and innovative start-ups. A Life Science Investor Day has also been organised in Rome on 10 March in which a selection of 30 innovative start-ups and SMEs in Lazio will meet representatives of investment funds specialised in the biotech and pharma sectors to set up productive investments. The opening of the Step 2 and Technological Supply Chains notice, which allocates over 100 million for research and innovation, is scheduled for May. The biotech sector is among the four funded areas. The plan aims to consolidate an ecosystem that already includes excellences such as Spallanzani, Bambino Gesù, Policlinico Gemelli, and the Istituto Superiore di Sanità.
The threat of antimicrobial resistance
On the scientific front, antimicrobial resistance has been referred to as the 'silent pandemic'. The integration of rapid diagnostics, genomic sequencing (Next Generation Sequencing) and molecular surveillance now makes it possible to identify variants, resistant strains and new pathogens in drastically shorter times than before. This is the genomics revolution applied to public health: a shift from a reactive to a predictive approach.
Alongside surveillance, the challenge is to have ready-to-use therapeutic platforms. DNA vaccines from the biotech Takis represent one of the most promising emerging technologies: stability at room temperature, rapid design and adaptability to new pathogens make them potentially decisive tools in the case of emerging viruses such as Nipah or new influenza variants. Similarly, monoclonal and bispecific antibodies offer an immediate response in the early stages of an epidemic, especially for fragile patients.
