Many of the world\u2019s most respected virologists will now have a home at the University of South Florida. Leaders and stakeholders celebrated the opening of the Global Virus Network\u2019s international headquarters this month at the USF Health Institute for Translational Virology and Innovation (at the USF Research Park in Tampa).\u00a0<\/p>\n
The nonprofit coalition, which consists of more than 90 Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in over 40 countries, focuses on advancing research and pandemic preparedness for current and future threats. It was co-founded in 2011 by Dr. Robert Gallo, who helped discover that HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the cause of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).<\/p>\n
The USF Health Institute for Translational Virology and Innovation is a Center of Excellence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr. Christian Br\u00e9chot, GVN Board of Directors vice chair and president emeritus, has been a professor at the University of South Florida for more than five years. Previously, he served as president of the French-based Institut Pasteur \u2013 a nonprofit organization dedicated to \u201cadvancing science, medicine and public health,\u201d according to its website.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI very much value international collaborations,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are kind of in a strange peacetime regarding pandemics. We should never forget that we just got out of Covid-19.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
More diseases such as mpox (once known as monkeypox) could prove to be dangerous globally.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to reinforce the virologists,\u201d Br\u00e9chot explained. \u201cIt is about the next generation of virologists. We also need to reinforce the communication of science-based facts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The University of South Florida was selected to host GVN\u2019s international headquarters <\/a>in 2024. This, he added, reflects a committed partnership.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUSF is very vibrant, young and willing to invest in new projects,\u201d Br\u00e9chot said. \u201cWhen my friends came to USF when we had meetings, they were very impressed by the dynamic. We need to expand its international outreach and visibility.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n A key aspect of GVN is conversations. Br\u00e9chot was president of the coalition during the Covid-19 pandemic. Members of the organization would meet every week to \u201cpinpoint what was going on\u201d and \u201cwhat should be done regarding diagnostics, treatments, admission of treatments and admission of vaccines once they became available.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n GVN\u2019s task, he explained, is to help \u201cdecide what is important for research.\u201d Action committees <\/a>focus on specific viral categories or threats.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe question is not whether we will have viral pandemics in the future \u2013 the question is when,\u201d Br\u00e9chot said. \u201cWhat Covid-19 showed was that collaboration and preparation are at the heart of success.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He added that the coalition is preparing a \u201cplaybook\u201d for hospitals worldwide. Many countries, including the U.S., were not ready for the pandemic when it became an issue six years ago.<\/p>\n With the partnership with USF, the organization has a facility to support early-stage research on viruses. This can help young scientists \u201chatch new ideas.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n