Our Vision
We aim to reduce the millions of lives lost through inappropriate treatment of infectious diseases and the avoidable escalation from local outbreaks to pandemics
Collaborate with GPAS or learn more about our latest breakthroughs
The Challenges
Innovation
To fully harness the life-saving potential of genomics, innovation and global scientific and technological collaboration must be accelerated. Genomics relies on effective analysis and data sharing, yet current provisions are inconsistent, and available tools are often inadequate.
Each year, millions of lives and livelihoods are lost due to slow and inaccurate pathogen identification, leading to misdiagnoses and worsening antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Incomplete analysis and inadequate AMR detection tools contribute to treatment failures and the spread of resistant strains.
Additionally, current methods lack the precision needed to accurately determine genetic diversity and better optimise disease tracking. Global data sharing and real-time collaboration remain challenging.
However, recent breakthroughs by GPAS in analysis and data sharing could help the world better contain outbreaks locally, potentially relegating pandemics to history.
System
The current global diagnostics and surveillance system is not fit for purpose.
The transition of genomic testing from central laboratories to routine points of care has been too slow, resulting in delays in crucial diagnoses, effective treatment and the detection of worrying new strains.
Inefficient sample preparation and incomplete genomic sequencing analysis contribute to avoidable deaths from AMR. By 2050, this resistance could claim up to 10 million lives annually. Moreover, the reactive, stop/start approach to global outbreak management will not prevent pandemics.
We need systemic changes. Specifically, existing infrastructure struggles to detect unknown pathogens at the point of care, hindering rapid emergency responses in clinical research and vaccination efforts.
An integrated and responsive global health surveillance system is essential, starting with effective local genomic analysis and real-time, standardised global data sharing.
Tackling the Growing Tuberculosis Crisis
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) and Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) remain a significant global health threat, ranking among the top ten causes of death worldwide. In 2022 alone, 10.6 million people were diagnosed with TB, and 1.3 million succumbed to the disease. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation, increasing the incidence of TB and drug-resistant TB cases. Delays in progress are projected to cost the global economy $3 trillion by 2045.
Find out about GPAS’ research into:
* rapid, accurate, and comprehensive speciation and lineage determination.
* detailed insights into relatedness and transmission dynamics.
* robust resistance predictions to guide effective treatment strategies
* fast, safe and secure cloud based data sharing
We are always open to new partnerships and collaborations which will speed progress to eventually eradicate this disease.
Get in touchOur How
GPAS will unlock the full potential of current sequencing solutions.
Built by a world-leading pathogen genomics team from the University of Oxford, and supported by the cloud computing scale and security of Oracle, GPAS will automate and accelerate processing, analysing, sharing and comparing of genomic sequencing data.
Simple and accessible, it will deliver a deep, complete and reliable understanding of microbes, enabling the better management of infectious diseases globally.
Our Ethos
In short, authentic collaboration. At the very heart of our mission is a commitment to adaptability, speed, and global collaboration.
We understand the importance of sharing data and fostering rich, equitable partnerships. Our premise is that only through global, interdisciplinary collaboration will we achieve meaningful improvements in health outcomes.
If you are working on your PhD, conducting research, or working in public health, get in touch and subscribe to our newsletter.
Our Governance
Professor Sir John Bell
Professor Sir John Bell GBE, FRS is the President, of the Ellison Institute of Technology, Oxford and served as Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford from 2002 to 2024. His extensive research interests span the areas of autoimmune disease, immunology and genetics. He was crucial in creating Genomics England, UK Biobank and Our Future Health. He has advised multiple Ministers and Prime Ministers in the UK government.
He was President of the Academy of Medical Sciences from 2006 to 2011 and elected Fellow of the Royal Society and honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Holder of prominent roles during the Covid epidemic, enabling the development of the testing platforms for lateral flow tests and helping to initiate the molecular testing program nationally, Prof Bell played a major role in the development and roll out of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to medicine, medical research and the life science industry. He was appointed Companion of Honour (CH) in 2023 for services to medicine, medical research, the life science industry and public health.
Professor Derrick Crook
Professor Derrick Crook MBBCh, FRCP, FRCPath is Professor of Microbiology, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford and Infectious Diseases Physician, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.
He studied Medicine at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; obtained the Diploma of Tropical Medicine (London), specialised in internal medicine at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA, and completed a fellowship in infectious diseases at the Tufts New England Medical Center, Boston, USA. He obtained his US boards in both internal medicine and infectious diseases.
Professor Crook trained in clinical microbiology at the John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford and obtained both his FRCP and FRCPath. After five years as director of the National Infection Service, he stood down in 2019. He is a practising clinical microbiologist and infectious diseases physician at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.
He is co-director of the Oxford Biomedical Research, Infection Theme, and leads a large research consortium, Modernising Medical Microbiology, which focuses on translating whole pathogen sequencing into routine clinical and public health practice. Professor Crook is the principal investigator of a large 20-country international research programme, CRyPTIC, which aims to comprehensively describe the genomic variation that confers anti-tuberculosis drug resistance.
Tamsin Berry
Tamsin Berry is the Chief of Staff at the Ellison Institute of Technology Oxford.
As a key member of the Executive Leadership team, Tamsin’s main focus as Chief of Staff is ensuring that EIT Oxford works towards the development and deployment of technology in pursuit of solving four of humanity’s most challenging and enduring problems by accelerating innovation and enabling impactful change. To do this, she oversees the science research groups within each of the four human endeavours that EIT is proud to focus on.
Tamsin is also a co-founder and partner of Population Health Partners. She has extensive experience in government and expertise in health policy.
As the former Director of the UK Office for Life Sciences, she worked with Sir John Bell to write the UK’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, which led to £3 billion of investment into UK biotech across several public and private partnership projects.
Tamsin held a number of leadership positions in government, spanning policy, corporate, and
communications roles at the Cabinet Office, Department of Health, and Public Health England.
Prior to taking on her role with EIT, Tamsin was a member of the COVID Taskforce, where she was the senior responsible officer for serology and seroprevalence surveys at the start of the pandemic and was awarded an OBE for her work.
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