The establishment of the Virology Expert Council of the Pathogen Competence Platform (PAKOP) within the NUM-SAR infrastructure marked the creation of a key scientific advisory body. The PAKOP Expert Council assesses current virological developments at an early stage, pools scientific expertise and produces well-founded virological situation assessments on relevant pathogens. In doing so, it strengthens evidence-based decision-making and supports the rapid transfer of knowledge within the network.
The members of the PAKOP Virology Expert Council are:
- Prof. Dr Stephan Becker, Head of the Institute of Virology at Philipps University of Marburg; BSL-4 high-security laboratory, Marburg
- Prof. Dr Sandra Ciesek, Director of the Institute of Medical Virology at Frankfurt University Hospital and President of the German Society for Virology
- Prof. Dr Sascha Al Dahouk, Head of Department 1: Infectious Diseases, Robert Koch-Institute
- Prof. Dr Christian Drosten, Director of the Institute of Virology at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and First Vice-President of the Society for Virology
- Prof. Dr Jörg Timm, Director of the Institute of Virology at Düsseldorf University Hospital and Second Vice-President of the Society for Virology
The Expert Council will meet regularly in future to assess current developments and provide scientifically sound assessments. Shortly after its establishment, the council began its advisory work and, together with the PAKOP laboratory network, initiated its first specialist activities. These included, amongst others:
Following the Andes virus (ANDV) outbreak on the cruise ship ‘Hondius’:
- First (asynchronous) meeting of the Virology Expert Council following the return of cruise ship passengers to Germany
- Provision of information on ANDV diagnostics to 23 virology institutes within the PAKOP laboratory network
- Sharing and interpreting current literature and distributing available ANDV RNA (not from the current outbreak) to PAKOP partners.
In light of the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo:
- Guidance on filovirus/Ebola virus diagnostics for suspected cases, for example among travellers returning from affected areas, distributed within the PAKOP laboratory network
- Coordination of the selection of suitable test kits for the detection of the Bundibugyo virus and dispatch of RNA isolates to PAKOP partners
- Preparation and organisation of the dispatch of Bundibugyo control material to partner laboratories
These initial activities highlight the role of the PAKOP Virology Expert Council as a scientific advisory body that assesses current developments in a timely manner, pools diagnostic expertise and promotes knowledge exchange within the PAKOP network.
PAKOP Pathogen Competence Platform
PAKOP is a module within the NUM Surveillance & Rapid Response infrastructure (NUM-SAR). Prof. Sandra Ciesek and Prof. Dr Christian Drosten are responsible for the PAKOP module.
Contact details and further information on PAKOP and the PAKOP Expert Council can be found here:
ttps://www.netzwerk-universitaetsmedizin.de/plattformen/num-sar/module/pakop.