Márquez Sully, Vasquez-Aleman Gerald, Juarez Jose G, Cerpas Cristhiam, Cardenas Paul, Bennett Shannon, Balmaseda Angel, Harris Eva, Coloma Josefina
Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.
Sustainable Sciences Institute, Managua, Nicaragua.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 Apr 8;5(4):e0004365. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004365. eCollection 2025.
Latin American countries have faced limited access to new scientific technologies for many years due to restricted budgets for research programs, which has hindered local scientific development. These research disparities became especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, as lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) like Ecuador and Nicaragua had restricted access to genomic surveillance protocols, sequencing technologies, and adequate infrastructure, compromising global pandemic preparedness and response. In response to the urgent need for SARS-CoV-2 research capabilities in these countries, the Asian-American Center for Arbovirus Research and Enhanced Surveillance led the initiative, collaborating with the NGO Sustainable Sciences Institute and LMIC stakeholders, including universities and Ministries of Health, to develop pandemic-related research programs, provide resources, and conduct peer training workshops for local health scientists. Over the past five years, collaborative efforts have enabled teams in Ecuador and Nicaragua to establish sustainable research capacity and technology-sharing initiatives, as showcased by the institutionalization of government-led genomic surveillance efforts. This has opened new research opportunities in genomic surveillance for other emerging and reemerging pathogens and strengthening South-South collaboration.
多年来，由于研究项目预算有限，拉丁美洲国家获取新科学技术的机会有限，这阻碍了当地的科学发展。这些研究差距在新冠疫情期间尤为明显，像厄瓜多尔和尼加拉瓜这样的中低收入国家获取基因组监测方案、测序技术和充足基础设施的机会受限，影响了全球疫情防范和应对。为满足这些国家对新冠病毒研究能力的迫切需求，亚美虫媒病毒研究与强化监测中心牵头开展了这项倡议，与非政府组织可持续科学研究所及包括大学和卫生部在内的中低收入国家利益相关方合作，制定与疫情相关的研究项目、提供资源，并为当地卫生科学家举办同行培训研讨会。在过去五年里，通过合作努力，厄瓜多尔和尼加拉瓜的团队得以建立可持续的研究能力和技术共享倡议，政府主导的基因组监测工作的制度化就展示了这一点。这为其他新出现和再次出现的病原体的基因组监测开辟了新的研究机会，并加强了南南合作。
