Pirbright contributes to new global coronavirus research and innovation network | The Pirbright Institute

The UK International Coronavirus Network (UK-ICN) is a new global network of researchers from both animal and human coronavirus communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown what a huge impact a zoonotic disease can have globally. With the current death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic at over 4.7 million people, the UK-ICN will provide a much needed One Health approach to advancing knowledge and gaining a deeper understanding of coronaviruses that infect both animals and humans.

Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) the global network aims to strengthen research and understanding of coronaviruses.

Bringing together global experts working on animal and human coronaviruses, the network will be led by the University of Liverpool, The Pirbright Institute, Animal and Plant Health Agency, The Roslin Institute and the University of Edinburgh. The UK-ICN will facilitate research collaborations to develop the understanding of coronaviruses in the fields of:

Dr Erica Bickerton, head of the Coronaviruses group at Pirbright is a co-director of the UK-ICN. Dr Bickerton and researchers at Pirbright will use their expertise to bridge gaps in our understanding of the transmission of coronaviruses between species, including humans to prevent future outbreaks of zoonotic diseases.

Professor Bryan Charleston, Director of The Pirbright Institute said: “Understanding how coronaviruses readily jump between different species and become established in those new hosts is an important area of research to help us predict the next virus with potential to cause a pandemic”

For more information about our coronavirus research, visit our Coronavirus Hub.

This research was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Image credit: Freezelight
Penetration of a coronavirus particle into a human cell.