Norway-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has significantly expanded the scale and geographical footprint of its epidemic and pandemic vaccine testing laboratory network in the Global South.

CEPI has announced that an additional five members based in Africa and India have joined its Centralised Laboratory Network (CLN) which now has 15 partner facilities in 13 countries.

The Indian Council of Medical Research- National Institute of Virology (ICMR NIV) from Pune is the new entrant in the list.

Engagement of NIV with CEPI is intended to help in establishing validated assays and standards for expedited testing of new vaccines as per internationally accepted norms. 

The CLN is the largest global group using the same methods and materials, like reagents—substances used to carry out a scientific test—to standardise and accelerate the evaluation of vaccines against epidemic and pandemic diseases. In the event of an outbreak of infectious disease, having an established global clinical laboratory network in place will facilitate faster data readouts by harmonizing analyses and reducing sample shipping times due to its worldwide footprint.