Joining European Scientific Forces to Face Pandemics

M Helena Vasconcelos; Stefano Alcaro; Virginia Arechavala-Gomeza; Jan Baumbach; Fernanda Borges; Tiziana A L Brevini; Javier De Las Rivas; Yvan Devaux; Pavel Hozak; Minna M Keinänen-Toivola; Giovanna Lattanzi; Thomas Mohr; Modra Murovska; Bhupesh K Prusty; Roy A Quinlan; Dolores Pérez-Sala; Carmen Scheibenbogen; Harald H H W Schmidt; Isabel Silveira; Paolo Tieri; Alexander Tolios; Chiara Riganti

doi:10.1016/j.tim.2020.10.008

Joining European Scientific Forces to Face Pandemics

Trends Microbiol. 2021 Feb;29(2):92-97. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.10.008. Epub 2020 Dec 4.

Authors

M Helena Vasconcelos¹, Stefano Alcaro², Virginia Arechavala-Gomeza³, Jan Baumbach⁴, Fernanda Borges⁵, Tiziana A L Brevini⁶, Javier De Las Rivas⁷, Yvan Devaux⁸, Pavel Hozak⁹, Minna M Keinänen-Toivola¹⁰, Giovanna Lattanzi¹¹, Thomas Mohr¹², Modra Murovska¹³, Bhupesh K Prusty¹⁴, Roy A Quinlan¹⁵, Dolores Pérez-Sala¹⁶, Carmen Scheibenbogen¹⁷, Harald H H W Schmidt¹⁸, Isabel Silveira¹⁹, Paolo Tieri²⁰, Alexander Tolios²¹, Chiara Riganti²²

Affiliations

¹ i3S, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, PT-4200-135 Porto, Portugal; Cancer Drug Resistance Group, IPATIMUP, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, PT-4200-135 Porto, Portugal; Department of Biological Sciences, FFUP-Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, PT-4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
² Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università Magna Græcia di Catanzaro, Viale Europa, IT-88100, Catanzaro, Italy; Net4Science srl, Università Magna Græcia di Catanzaro, Viale Europa, IT-88100, Catanzaro, Italy.
³ Neuromuscular Disorders, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, ES-48903, Barakaldo, Spain; Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, ES-48009, Bilbao, Spain.
⁴ Experimental Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, DE-85354, Munich, Germany.
⁵ CIQUP/Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, PT-4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
⁶ Laboratory of Biomedical Embryology, Center for Stem Cell Research UniSTEM, University of Milan, IT-20133 Milan, Italy.
⁷ Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics Group, Cancer Research Center (CiC-IMBCC, CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and University of Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, ES-37007 Salamanca, Spain.
⁸ Cardiovascular Research Unit, Department of Population Health, Luxembourg Institute of Health, L-1445 Strassen, Luxembourg.
⁹ Department of Biology of the Cell Nucleus, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-14220, Prague, Czech Republic.
¹⁰ Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Technology, FI-26100 Rauma, Finland.
¹¹ CNR, National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Molecular Genetics Unit of Bologna, IT-40136, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, IT-40136, Bologna, Italy.
¹² ScienceConsult, DI Thomas Mohr KG, AT-2353, Guntramsdorf, Austria; Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, AT-1090 Vienna, Austria.
¹³ Rīga Stradiņš University, Institute of Microbiology and Virology, LV-1007, Riga, Latvia.
¹⁴ Julius-Maximilians-Universität, Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, DE-97078, Würzburg, Germany.
¹⁵ Department of Biosciences, University of Durham, Upper Mountjoy Science Site, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.
¹⁶ Department of Structural and Chemical Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, CSIC, ES-28040 Madrid, Spain.
¹⁷ Institut für Med. Immunologie, Charité Campus Virchow Klinikum, DE-13353, Berlin, Germany.
¹⁸ Department of Pharmacology and Personalised Medicine, MeHNS, FHML, Maastricht University, NL-6200 Maastricht, The Netherlands.
¹⁹ Genetics of Cognitive Dysfunction Laboratory, i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, PT-4200-135 Porto, Portugal; IBMC, Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, Universidade do Porto, PT-4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
²⁰ CNR Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, IAC Istituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo, IT-00185, Rome, Italy.
²¹ Department of Blood Group Serology and Transfusion Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, AT-1090, Vienna, Austria; Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, AT-1090, Vienna, Austria; Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics, and Intelligent Systems, Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Decision Support, Medical University of Vienna, AT-1090, Vienna, Austria.
²² Department of Oncology, University of Turin, IT-10126, Turin, Italy. Electronic address: chiara.riganti@unito.it.

Abstract

Despite the international guidelines on the containment of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the European scientific community was not sufficiently prepared to coordinate scientific efforts. To improve preparedness for future pandemics, we have initiated a network of nine European-funded Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Actions that can help facilitate inter-, multi-, and trans-disciplinary communication and collaboration.

Keywords: COST Actions; COVID-19; interdisciplinary network; pandemic.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Biomedical Research / organization & administration*
COVID-19 / virology*
Communication
Europe
Humans
Laboratory Personnel
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2 / genetics
SARS-CoV-2 / physiology*