These tensions constrain cross-border cooperation. To address that, PathGen applies artificial intelligence (AI) to pathogen genomes alongside clinical and environmental signals but within clear constraints. A federated model keeps raw data such as genomic sequences, clinical records and epidemiological information on national systems while analytical outputs move across borders. This means the intelligence is collective even though the underlying information remains under national control.
When the next pandemic emerges, experience suggests that coordination will impact how quickly countries respond. Global disease surveillance, however, remains shaped by national reporting, fragmented data and IT systems, and political caution.
Traditional surveillance relies on case counts, hospitalisations and deaths. By contrast, genomic surveillance can show who is being infected, where transmission chains begin and how viruses mutate as they move through populations. Yet, those genomic data can also expose weaknesses in public health systems or reveal outbreaks governments would rather manage quietly.
