Current Projects

  • In March 2024, team members from Georgetown University, EcoHealth Alliance and the University of Glasgow traveled to Guinea to work with local veterinarians in Dalaba for our Fever Project. The purpose of the trip was to reinforce rodent trapping techniques, supervise safe handling of bats, and ensure project biosafety and ethical protocols were being followed. The four veterinarians in Dalaba showed great improvement from their first animal sampling mission and showed clear understanding of the field biosafety procedures.  Samples collected from these animals will be used to look for signs of exposure to zoonotic viruses. 

    _____________

    Photo above shows veterinarians (from left to right) Dr. Amadou Sow, Dr. Abou Sylla, Dr. Mamadou Oury Diallo, and Dr. Mohamed Magassouba collecting samples from an African pouched rat. Photo Credits: Dr. Marc Valitutto

  • This project will enhance the Laboratory Self-Assessment Tool (S-LAT) by incorporating a cyber-biosecurity component and supporting laboratory facilities in Guinea in identifying cyber-biosecurity risks, understanding their significance, and implementing mitigation strategies at all staff levels.

    The rapid advancement of generative AI has underscored the global threat posed by unauthorized access to sensitive genetic and diagnostic materials, particularly in laboratories handling high-consequence pathogens. Securing high-containment laboratories and biorepositories against physical and digital biosecurity threats is critical to mitigating AI and biotechnology risks.

    Since 2017, the Georgetown University Center for Global Health Science and Security has worked to strengthen biosecurity and biosafety capacities through the S-LAT. In response to emerging cyber-biosecurity challenges, we have developed an adapted version of the tool to identify and address cyber-biosecurity vulnerabilities. This component focuses on strengthening biosecurity across synthetic biology, toxicology, and genomic research, particularly in facilities deploying biotechnologies. Additionally, it establishes protocols for securing biological and genomic data, including oversight, enforcement, and reporting mechanisms.

  • In collaboration with Global Implementation Solutions (GIS), we are supporting efforts to promote and build capacities in basic minimum biosafety and biosecurity protections and multisectoral emergency response capacities in East and Central Africa. The overall project comprises of three tasks: leveraging the capabilities and network of the Elizabeth R. Griffin Program (ERGP) at Georgetown to take a step-wise, risk-based and regionally integrated approach to strengthening biorisk management capabilities across the Central African region, focusing initially on Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Gabon, with the option to expand to additional countries in the region at later project stages; building indigenous capacity to improve biorisk management, biosecurity, and biosafety practices in diagnostic and research laboratories and medical facilities that work with or may encounter high consequence pathogens in Kenya, Somalia and Nigeria; and enhancing and promoting multi sectoral coordination across animal health, human health, border, and other related security sectors to mitigate biological threats in Nigeria, Kenya and Somalia.


  • This project, funded by Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), aims to uncover barriers and enablers to the effective integration of the 7-1-7 approach into country health systems of Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. This study is designed as implementation research investigating the contextual factors that facilitate the adoption and integration of the 7-1-7 approach for timely responses to infectious disease outbreaks focusing on detecting a suspected outbreak within 7 days, reporting and initiating a response within 1 day, and mounting an effective early response within 7 days. The study is in collaboration with stakeholders from National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) in three countries, namely the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the National Public Health Agency (NPHA), Sierra Leone.