MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis
{{short description|Research centre at Imperial College London}}
{{use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis
| full_name =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| logo =
| logo_size =
| logo_alt =
| logo_caption =
| map =
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| map2 =
| map2_size =
| map2_alt =
| map2_caption =
| abbreviation =
| nickname =
| named_after =
| motto =
| predecessor =
| merged =
| successor =
| formation =
| founder =
| founding_location = Imperial College London, Faculty of Medicine
| extinction =
| merger =
| type =
| vat_id =
| registration_id =
| status =
| purpose =
| professional_title =
| headquarters = London, England
| location =
| location2 =
| additional_location =
| additional_location2 =
| coordinates =
| origins =
| region =
| products =
| services =
| methods =
| fields =
| membership =
| membership_year =
| language =
| owner =
| sec_gen =
| leader_title = Neil Ferguson
| leader_name =
| leader_title2 =
| leader_name2 =
| leader_title3 =
| leader_name3 =
| leader_title4 =
| leader_name4 =
| board_of_directors =
| key_people =
| main_organ =
| parent_organization =
| subsidiaries =
| secessions =
| affiliations =
| budget =
| budget_year =
| revenue =
| revenue_year =
| disbursements =
| expenses =
| expenses_year =
| endowment =
| endowment_year =
| staff =
| staff_year =
| volunteers =
| volunteers_year =
| students =
| students_year =
| website = {{URL|https://www.imperial.ac.uk/mrc-global-infectious-disease-analysis/}}
| remarks =
| formerly = MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling
| footnotes =
| bodystyle =
}}
The MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis is a Medical Research Council funded research centre at Imperial College London and a WHO collaborating centre. It is part of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at School of Public Health within the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine.{{Cite web|last=Medical Research Council|first=M. R. C.|date=2020-07-03|title=MRC Response to Covid-19|url=https://mrc.ukri.org/news/browse/coronavirus-updates/#disease|access-date=2020-07-08|website=mrc.ukri.org|language=en}}{{Cite news|last1=Landler|first1=Mark|last2=Castle|first2=Stephen|date=2020-03-17|title=Behind the Virus Report That Jarred the U.S. and the U.K. to Action|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/world/europe/coronavirus-imperial-college-johnson.html|access-date=2020-03-30|issn=0362-4331}} Neil Ferguson is the director of the centre, along with four associate directors: Christl Donnelly, Azra Ghani, Nicholas Grassly, and Timothy Hallett.{{Cite web|title=Governance|url=http://www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/departments/school-public-health/infectious-disease-epidemiology/mrc-global-infectious-disease-analysis/about-us/governance/|access-date=2020-07-08|website=Imperial College London|language=en-GB}}{{cite journal|last1=Adam|first1=David|year=2020|title=Special report: The simulations driving the world's response to COVID-19|journal=Nature|volume=580|issue=7803|pages=316–318|doi=10.1038/d41586-020-01003-6|pmid=32242115|bibcode=2020Natur.580..316A |doi-access=free}} The centre also collaborates UK Health Protection Agency, and the US Centre for Disease Control.{{Cite web|last=UKRI|title=GtR|url=https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR/K010174/1|access-date=2020-07-08|website=gtr.ukri.org|language=en}} The centre's main research areas are disease outbreak analysis and modelling, vaccines, global health analytics, antimicrobial resistance, and developing methods and tools for studying these areas.{{Cite web|title=MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis|url=http://www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/departments/school-public-health/infectious-disease-epidemiology/mrc-global-infectious-disease-analysis/|access-date=2020-07-08|website=Imperial College London|language=en-GB}}
History
The centre was previously called the MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling.{{Cite web|title=About us|url=http://www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/departments/school-public-health/infectious-disease-epidemiology/mrc-global-infectious-disease-analysis/about-us/|access-date=2020-07-15|website=Imperial College London|language=en-GB}} It has also been referred to as the MRC Center for Outbreak Analysis and Modeling{{Citation |date=30 November 2017 |title=Proposed cuts in foreign aid could cause malaria resurgence |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/proposed-cuts-in-foreign-aid-could-cause-malaria-resurgence-idUSKBN1DL2UL/ |access-date=}} Its founding was confirmed in March 2007, with Imperial College London hosting the center with funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC).{{Citation |date=9 March 2007 |title=Imperial plans for H5N1 |work=Times Higher Education |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/imperial-plans-for-h5n1/208114.article |access-date=}}
In 2016, Neil Ferguson was serving as director of the MRC Center for Outbreak Analysis and Modeling. That year he was lead author on a paper concerning Zika. Published in Science, Ferguson's research suggested the outbreak in South America was undergoing a sharp decline, and would "burn itself out" within a year or 18 months.{{Citation |date=14 July 2016 |title=Could the Zika threat in Latin America be over in 1-2 years? |work=Stat News |url=https://www.statnews.com/2016/07/14/zika-burn-out-soon/}} In 2016, Ferguson published a study in September 2016 raising concerns that wrong implementation of the newly licensed dengue virus vaccine Dengvaxia could increase the number of cases of the disease.{{Citation |date=1 September 2016 |title=New dengue vaccine could instead cause more cases, experts warn |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/01/health/dengue-vaccine-increase-disease/index.html |access-date=}}
= COVID-19 pandemic response =
{{see also|COVID-19 pandemic}}
The centre—together with the Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics—formed the COVID-19 Response Team in respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web|title=The global impact of Imperial's COVID-19 Response Team {{!}} Imperial News {{!}} Imperial College London|url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/198737/the-global-impact-imperials-covid-19-response/|access-date=2020-11-18|website=Imperial News|date=11 August 2020 |language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Wilson|first=Deborah Evanson, Joanna|title=COVID-19: six months on the frontline (An Imperial Story)|url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/stories/covid-19-first-six-months/|access-date=2020-11-18|website=www.imperial.ac.uk|language=en}} On 16 March 2020 the team produced a research forecast of various scenarios for spread of the disease in the United Kingdom and the United States. Without any mitigation their forecast showed local health care capabilities vastly overwhelmed by the epidemic wave. Periodic cycles of quarantine followed by softer social distancing were recommended, with quarantines in effect two thirds of the time.{{cite web|last=Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team|date=2020-03-16|title=Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID19 mortality and healthcare demand|url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf|pages=|via=|doi=|journal=|volume=}} On 30 March, a study on 11 European countries was published.{{cite web|last=Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team|date=2020-03-30|title=Estimating the number of infections and the impact of nonpharmaceutical interventions on COVID-19 in 11 European countries|url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-Europe-estimates-and-NPI-impact-30-03-2020.pdf|pages=35|via=|doi=|journal=|volume=}} It provided estimates of the situation as of 28 March (observed and modelised with CovidSim), and projections for 31 March given current expectations, no action, and the difference. It also provided a list of government policies and their respective absolute dates. As of March 2021, the COVID-19 Response Team has produced 43 reports.{{Cite web|title=COVID-19 reports|url=http://www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/departments/school-public-health/infectious-disease-epidemiology/mrc-global-infectious-disease-analysis/covid-19/covid-19-reports/|access-date=2021-04-05|website=Imperial College London|language=en-GB}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
{{Imperial College London}}
Category:Antimicrobial resistance organizations
Category:Biological research institutes in the United Kingdom
Category:Medical and health organisations based in London
Category:Medical Research Council (United Kingdom)
Category:Research institutes in London