Global Virus Network (GVN)
"Since HIV/AIDS first appeared, I have strongly believed mankind will best be served if the world’s leading virologists are organized and better-equipped to deal with new and existing viral threats." - Dr. Robert C. Gallo, co-discoverer of HIV
The Global Virus Network (GVN) had its inaugural meeting March 1-3, 2011 in Washington DC.
From the excitement generated by the 100 attendees it was clear that a “Network” now exists that will seek funding for full operation.
The GVN provides a new voice promoting excellence in research in medical virology, international collaborations, rational response to viral threats, training for young medical virologists, and advice on viral disease control for governments and non-government organizations.
GVN Mission Statement
Comprised of a world-wide network of preeminent medical virologists, the Global Virus Response Network (GVN) is a global resource for the identification, investigation, and eradication of viral diseases that pose threats to mankind. The GVN will improve the global capacity for reactive, proactive and interactive activities that address known viruses which are emerging as epidemic threats, and those viruses that can be associated with human diseases of unknown etiology. GVN will address a global need for coordinated virology training, developing scholarly exchange programs for recruiting and training young scientists in medical virology and imprinting them with a commitment to international cooperation and collaboration. The GVN will serve as a resource to government and international organizations seeking advice about viral disease threats, prevention or response strategies, and will advocate for research and training on virus infections and their many disease manifestations, and will disseminate information to authorities and scientific communities throughout the world.
The GVN fills a critical need for scientist-driven global health efforts.
GVN Newsletter
General Information
The Global Virus Network (GVN) is an independent, not-for-profit, 501c3 organization comprised of centers of excellence in medical virology worldwide, each directed by a recognized expert in human viral diseases. The GVN is a global authority and resource for the identification and investigation, control and suppression, of viral diseases posing threats to mankind. The GVN does not duplicate the activities of other public health organizations, but partners with them and established surveillance networks to provide a coordinated and integrated global response to viral threats.
A key misunderstanding about viruses is that they are all similar. In fact there are at least 40 classes of viruses that commonly infect human beings with greatly different effects. No one institute can hope to have expertise in all these viruses, so the GVN has been organized to connect the best available expertise in each viral class. This network is ready to respond before the next viral threat emerges. This time savings will save millions of lives and limit costly economic damages during a new viral outbreak.
The GVN was established in March 2011 by Drs. Robert Gallo of the Institute of Human Virology in Baltimore, Reinhard Kurth, of the Robert Koch Institute Berlin, and William Hall, of University College Dublin, along with over 30 other leading medical virologists representing nearly two dozen countries, including Argentina, Canada, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Russia (in collaboration with Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine), South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This list is growing with several additional GVN centers in formation.
There are four fundamental goals within the mission of the GVN:
- Create a network of experts on medically important viruses, in partnership with existing surveillance programs and public health organizations, to control viral threats by providing a rapid, coordinated response and research approach.
- Build collaborative research alliances within the network to undertake focused research on diseases with known or suspected viral causes that require specialized expertise from multiple members.
- Mitigate the critical lack of current and future medical virologists through practical training programs.
- Educate governments, public health organizations and the public on viral threats, and advocate for research and training to address viral threats to mankind.
It is the GVN’s mandate to serve as a catalyst between laboratory research and clinical application, as well as to coordinate, support, and promote research that bridges the gap between virus surveillance and virus response. By coordinating the collective expertise, knowledge and resources of the center members, the GVN provides a far more effective and efficient approach to combatting existing and emerging viruses that threaten mankind, as well as serving as a valuable resource for governments and public health organizations facing such threats. Further, it is only by recruiting and training the next generations of medical virologists, and establishing them as public health leaders in their home nations, that viruses posing a threat to mankind can be controlled through antiviral research, vaccination and public education. This is a much more efficient tactic than responding after a widespread viral outbreak.
The need for the Global Virus Network has never been greater. With the volume and pace of international travel, isolated viral outbreaks become widespread epidemics at much faster rates than they have in the past. Overcrowded conditions in many regions lead to increasingly common jumps of novel viruses from animals to humans. Entirely new kinds of viruses are continually discovered in humans and animals. We are not sufficiently prepared for the next threat. With only surveillance and treatment currently being covered by international health organizations, there is an urgent need for the GVN to move its mission forward in an effort to bridge that gap through research and training by the world’s preeminent medical virologists.
For additional information, please see the Global Virus Network web site.
More than 35 of the world’s top medical virologists gathered in March 2011 to establish the
Global Virus Network (GVN). - Photo: www.sardari.com