Shots:

• Mary talked about Abbott's partnership Climate Amplified Disease and Epidemics (CLIMADE) consortium will use data science to predict, track and control diseases that may be amplified by climate change
• She then spoke about how Abbott and its partners in the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition will provide viral sequencing and testing data as part of the technology being developed and can provide diagnostic testing for potential outbreaks
• The interview highlights the beneficial outcomes of public-private partnerships like this which are needed for pandemic preparedness

Smriti: Shed some light on how climate change can potentially trigger disease outbreaks in countries where infectious diseases are predominant.

Mary Rodgers: We are seeing more places around the world being impacted by extreme weather events, from rising temperatures and droughts to hurricanes and flooding. These effects have the potential to accelerate the spread of disease, both in areas where infectious disease outbreaks have typically occurred as well as new locations. Research has found that the changing climate could impact more than half of known infectious diseases, which commonly spread via water or animals carrying diseases, such as West Nile virus and malaria.

Smriti: How will this partnership mitigate the potential risks of a disease outbreak?

Mary Rodgers: The COVID-19 pandemic taught us that no one organization, network or country can effectively fight against viral pathogens on their own. That’s why Abbott is joining the Climate Amplified Disease and Epidemics (CLIMADE) consortium. The group of over 100 scientists across public health agencies, academia and industry will use data science to predict, track and control diseases that may be amplified by climate change. By aggregating environmental, weather and viral data sets to predict if conditions are right to cause a disease outbreak, CLIMADE will be able to identify locations that may be at risk. Once a potential outbreak is identified, resources and rapid surveillance testing can be sent to the susceptible location to try and prevent further spread.

Smriti: How do you plan to infuse your viral sequencing and testing data into the third-world countries in Africa and South Asia?

Mary Rodgers: CLIMADE’s initial work will begin with disease surveillance in Africa and then will expand to other countries that are often impacted by infectious disease outbreaks. Abbott and our Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition partners will contribute viral sequencing, testing data and diagnostics tests for the work being done in these countries. These efforts will be assisted by the consortium’s focus on expanding access to resources in developing nations like Africa and South Asia.

Smriti: In this contemporary era, how important is it for MedTech companies to partner with global health institutions for surveillance?

Mary Rodgers: We must have an ongoing global commitment to pandemic preparedness – and key to that is collaboration across the private and public sectors for ongoing surveillance, early detection and a rapid response to emerging threats.  

That’s why we developed the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition. It’s the first-of-its-kind, industry-led network of 20 scientific and public health organizations on five different continents focused on identifying, tracking and responding to known and emerging viral threats to help prevent the next pandemic. Our partnership with CLIMADE builds upon this commitment to focus on diseases amplified as the climate changes.

Smriti: What are the ESG goals for Abbott and how the partnership with the CLIMADE consortium is going to help achieve those goals?

Mary Rodgers: Safeguarding a healthy environment is a longstanding part of Abbott's purpose to help people live fuller lives through better health. Building on our longstanding commitment to minimize our environmental footprint and protect precious resources, we're also focused on taking action to protect people's health in the face of climate change.

 At Abbott, our work focuses in two areas: tracking and finding solutions for emerging health threats and preparing frontline systems and communities. Across our business and in collaboration with others, we'll work to identify and address emerging health issues, strengthen underlying health systems and help build more resilient communities. This partnership with CLIMADE is another example of our commitment by tackling emerging health issues, strengthening underlying health systems, and helping build more resilient communities.

Source: Canva

About the Author:

Mary Rodgers

Mary Rodgers is the principal scientist in Abbott's diagnostics business. She manages the Abbott Global Surveillance Program and external collaborations for the infectious disease research division. In 2019, Mary and a team of Abbott scientists announced the discovery of a new subtype of HIV and made the sequence available to the global research community. Mary joined Abbott in 2014 and has since added two new pathogens (HCV, HDV) to the Surveillance Program, published 31 research papers, and was named one of Business Insider’s 30 under 40 Young Leaders in Biotech in 2017. Mary received her Ph.D. in biological and biomedical sciences from Harvard University and completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Southern California.

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