WHO added the MERS-CoV virus isolate to the System, enabling further research and pandemic preparedness

In recent years, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has been one of three high-impact coronaviruses with pandemic potential to have emerged and has been added to the WHO BioHub System to isolate.

With this BioHub system, countries can voluntarily request and share biological materials with epidemic or pandemic potential.

The Director-General of WHO has set up an initiative in the COVID-19 pandemic that supports pathogen characterization and research, surveillance and risk assessments, and is ready to  contribute to the development of medical countermeasures like vaccines and diagnostic equipment, and also enable rapid access to verified biological materials by the therapeutics with data essential for advanced research, validation, and product development.

WHO mentioned that MERS-CoV is a zoonotic virus that can be transmitted between dromedary camels and humans. And this infection in people may lead to severe respiratory disease and even death; as per the reports, 37% of cases have been fatal outcomes to date. Currently there are no licensed vaccines or therapeutics against MERS.

“Since its identification, outbreaks caused by MERS-CoV have been sporadic. As such, MERS-CoV isolates have been challenging to obtain, making it all the more important that the WHO BioHub System provides researchers with access to this virus isolate,” said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Acting Director of WHO’s Epidemic and Pandemic Management Department. “By supporting timely and transparent sharing of biological materials like the MERS-CoV isolate, the WHO BioHub is supporting research that helps the world prepare for epidemics and, potentially, pandemics.”

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Most of the MERS research to date has used clade A isolates, which are believed to have been extinct since 2015. Isolates are now available in the BioHub, were derived from a camel and are of clade C. This clade was found to be widely circulating in the African camel populations.

Recent pandemics and emergencies have highlighted the urgent need for faster, fairer, and more reliable sharing of pathogens to accelerate global response efforts. In an increasingly interconnected world where all new infectious threats continue to emerge, timely access to biological materials is essential for science and public health action.

The WHO BioHub System provides a functional, trusted, and scalable mechanism that minimizes the administrative burdens through standardized agreements and procedures, ensuring rapid exchange while maintaining biosafety, supporting research, and supporting equity. Since the BioHub System’s establishment, that has grown significantly in both participation and impact. 

To date, there are 76 laboratories from 30 countries across all WHO regions that have engaged in the system through sharing and requesting biological materials with both epidemic and pandemic potential. 

The BioHub System has already played a crucial role in supporting global responses to major public health events – for example, by supporting the sharing of SARS-CoV-2 variant isolates during the COVID-19 pandemic and by facilitating access to mpox materials during the 2023-2024 outbreak, which enabled the diagnostic validation and basic research across multiple laboratories globally.

In line with its guiding principles, the BioHub system has also served as a bridge for scientific collaboration, fostering equitable partnerships between providers and requestors of biological materials with epidemic or pandemic potential. 

This helps the providers in joint scientific projects and publications, reinforcing acknowledgement and co-authorship, transparency, equity and fairness, collaboration and cooperation, as well as ensuring shared benefits across the system.

As of date, the BioHub’s collection includes 33 variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the dangerous COVID-19; mpox clades Ia, Ib, and IIb; the Oropouche virus; and now the MERS-CoV. These extra pathogens reflect the evolving capacity of the WHO Biohub System to support preparation for known and emerging pathogens.

Now, the Spiez Laboratory in Switzerland serves as the central WHO BioHub Facility, responsible for storing, characterizing, and distributing materials. Looking forward, WHO aims to increase the network by establishing BioHub System facilities in each WHO region, ensuring all the regions have equal access and the capacity to respond quickly to future health threats.

As per the WHO, in the next phase, it will build on the BioHub’s strong foundation, advancing a regional science with collaboration, strengthening biosafety and biosecurity capacities, and enhancing global health security.

Content Source : https://www.who.int/news/item/23-10-2025-mers-cov-virus-isolate-added-to-the-who-biohub-system-enabling-further-research-and-pandemic-preparedness

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