PRECISE: Prepare, REact, Collect, Innovate, Share and Engage Diagnostic Platform
Image courtesy of Edward Jenner.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted significant gaps in Canada’s diagnostics and testing infrastructure. The Prepare, REact, Collect, Innovate, Share and Engage (PRECISE) initiative is a multi-institution, multi-disciplinary partnership that will establish a robust diagnostic pipeline that can be rapidly deployed in the event of another pandemic. PRECISE brings together over 50 leaders from across health sciences, including infectious diseases, immunology, microbiology, molecular diagnostics, social sciences, public health and both private and non-profit spheres into a unified network capable of responding to both current and emerging infectious threats facing Canadians.
PRECISE will be a multidisciplinary network built on four key domains:
Clinical Domain: Rapid detection of currently endemic and emerging pathogens/diseases in our communities.
Host and Pathogen Domain: Identification of novel pathogens and their variants, along with an understanding of the downstream host response in infected individuals.
Cross-cutting Diagnostics Domain: Integration of clinical samples and host-pathogen data to accelerate the development and validation of diagnostic tests and assays.
Engagement Domain: Collaboration among knowledge users, including policymakers, clinicians, scientists, industry, and local communities, to foster national and international engagement, ensuring Canada’s appropriate representation in the global health space.
PRECISE will build and test its diagnostics platform using exemplar pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, mpox, and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). A Steering Committee, chaired by Dr. Allison McGeer (University of Toronto) and composed of members from various crosscutting public health and healthcare sectors will define the focus areas, ensuring Canada is well-prepared to face future challenges.
