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Next time, we will be ready.
Our Sponsors
It's hard to overstate the impact that COVID-19 has had on the world. More than three million people are dead. In the United States, the impacts and loss of life were felt disproportionately in Black, brown, and Indigenous communities. Job losses or reduced working hours due to the impact of the pandemic cost the world the equivalent of 255 million jobs in 2020, nearly four times the number lost during the 2009 global financial crisis.
Explore worldwide COVID statistics below.
It’s a pandemic that changed life as we know it—and its effects will likely be felt for generations.
Undoubtedly, the U.S. and the world will face future infections with pandemic potential. While COVID-19 was a once-in-a-generation pandemic, there have also been a number of other high profile diseases and infections that have emerged over the past 20 years, including: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Swine Flu, MERS, Zika, and the Ebola virus. These diseases together have contributed to over $100 billion in economic losses.
8
pandemics since 1900.
$100 Billion
in economic losses
It's not a question of if the next pandemic hits. It's a question of when—and whether we'll be prepared.
Our vision
Imagine a world where scientists and medical providers have the tools to prepare for the next outbreak before it happens. Imagine a stockpile of rapidly deployable solutions to respond to pandemic threats the moment there's an outbreak to forestall loss of life and economic upheaval. Imagine an alignment of society, policy, and innovation so that we can make the big ideas of now the bold solutions of tomorrow. Imagine a deep and wide partnership between government, private industry, academia, and the community to finally get in front of global outbreaks with an integrated approach.
What is urgently needed is one cross-sector entity with the scale, resources, and talent to ensure the initiatives of all pandemic prevention stakeholders are coordinated to deliver maximum impact. Additionally, we need one body that can help accelerate the production and stockpiling of life-saving therapeutics and diagnostics, while improving surveillance and monitoring capabilities to help prevent and contain future outbreaks.
With a keen understanding of the challenges hampering current preparedness efforts, Connected DMV has a vision to create the world’s only comprehensive center to coordinate a global pandemic prevention and response program. Called the Global Pandemic Prevention & Biodefense Center, this Center aims to harness all of the rich talent and critical health research, biotech, defense, and government assets that the world has to offer to deliver a full-scale response. The National Capital Region is uniquely positioned to be the host location for this herculean task because it is home to:
70
federal labs
800
life sciences companies
government agencies: FDA, NIH/NIAID, ASPR/BARDA, DARPA
seat of policy & political power
175
worldwide embassies & diplomatic missions
The flagship lead initiative of the Center will be AHEAD100. This ambitious, medical countermeasures program aims to develop and stockpile monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for the world's top 100 pathogens across 25 pathogen families most likely to cause pandemics. The availability of this stockpile fills the critical time gap between outbreaks and activated vaccines during which a pandemic can be wholly avoided.
AHEAD100
Antibody research is among the most critical components of pandemic response. Antibodies are proven to provide prophylactic, post-exposure, and therapeutic benefits. Additionally, they can be used effectively to protect vulnerable populations and frontline healthcare workers while complementing vaccine solutions.
Learn more about the power of antibodies in the work to prevent pandemics from AHEAD100's chief scientist, Dr. James Crowe and ex-officio Steering Committee member Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad in the 60 Minutes clip below:
Latest News
The Center At a Glance
Establishing the Center and preparing antibody solutions through Phase 1 trials will cost $2.5 billion and enable society to be weeks from a solution when an outbreak occurs saving countless lives and evading massive economic and societal disruption.
Steering Committee
Dr. James Crowe, Founder & Chief Scientist, AHEAD100 | Stu Solomon, Co-Lead | Rich Bendis, Co-Lead
Nonprofits
Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
Phyllis Arthur
Brigadier Gen. (ret.)
White House Physician Emeritus
Dr. Richard Tubb
CEPI
Dr. Nick Jackson
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Dr. Jenni Weisman
US Pharmacopeia
Anthony Lakavage, JD
Virginia Bio
John Newby
Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense
Dr. Asha George
Former ASD for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense
Hon. Andy Weber
World Health Organization (WHO)
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan
(ex-officio)
Sachiko Kuno Foundation
Dr. Sachiko Kuno
BioHealth Innovation
Rich Bendis
Maryland Tech Council
Marty Rosendale
Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation
Benjamin Wu
Connected DMV
Stu Solomon
Academia
University System of Maryland
Dr. Jay Perman
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Dr. Jeff Balser
Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area
Dr. Andrew Flagel
Founder & Chief Scientist, AHEAD100
Dr. James Crowe
International Academic Institution / Europe-Asia
Future
Government
NIH/NIAID/VRC
Dr. John Mascola
(ex-officio)
NIH/NIAID/MID
Dr. Cristina Cassetti
(ex-officio)
NIH/NCATS
Dr. Michael Kurilla
(ex-officio)
USAMRDC/
USAMRIID
Future
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad
(ex-officio)
State of Maryland
Secretary Kelly Schulz
Montgomery County
Hon. Marc Elrich
HHS/ASPR/BARDA
Dr. Kimberly Armstrong
(ex-officio)
HHS/ASPR/BARDA
Dr. Christopher Houchens
(ex-officio)
JPEO-CBRND
Future
Industry
eMed
Dr. Patrice Harris
(Prior AMA Chair)
Pinkston
Jim Traficant
Moderna
Dr. Obadiah Plante
AstraZeneca
Dr. Mark Esser
Regeneron
Dr. Christos Kyratsous
Emergent BioSolutions
Dr. Laura Saward
GSK
Dr. Rebecca Farkas
Becton Dickinson
Dave Hickey
DLA Piper
Hon. Jim Greenwood
Founder, BeatTheReaper
Dr. Steve Projan
Twist Bioscience
Dr. Emily Leproust
Berkeley Lights
Dr. Keith Breinlinger
Kaiser Permanente
Ruth Williams-Brinkley
Various Biotech Companies
Ken Kelley
Next time, we will be ready.
If you're interested in getting involved or learning more about sponsorships of the Global Pandemic Prevention and Biodefense Center and the AHEAD100 initiative, please contact us.