Advancing Pandemic Preparedness: Innovative Multidisciplinary Strategies for COMBATing Severe Dengue

The rapid increase in dengue fever incidence poses a formidable challenge to global public health, with an estimated 100 million symptomatic infections annually and a geographical spread predicted to widen due to climate change and urbanization. The COMBAT initiative, a pioneering European Research Constellation, aims to address this by leveraging advanced technologies and knowledge from endemic regions to develop innovative solutions for dengue prevention and treatment. This project advances super-resolution microscopy to observe rare events in host-virus interactions and introduces novel brain-on-chip technology for in-depth dengue pathogenesis modeling. It focuses on developing innovative antiviral strategies to target dengue virus (DENV) entry and mitigate cytokine storms through host-directed therapy. Furthermore, it leverages multi-omics strategies to identify early predictive biomarkers of severe dengue and develop artificial intelligence tools with the aim of crafting comprehensive policies for the EU's pandemic preparedness. COMBAT employs a unique experimental strategy that integrates cutting-edge technologies such as super-resolution optical microscopy, AI, and machine learning for advanced modeling of the dengue virus-host interactions and early prediction of severe outcomes. By combining efforts in drug repurposing, development of a brain-on-chip model for neuropathogenesis studies, and employing nanoscale imaging for in-depth analysis of the virus's impact, COMBAT represents a significant leap forward in the fight against dengue. The project not only aims to enhance our understanding of the disease but also to create scalable and affordable tools for pandemic preparedness, setting a new standard in interdisciplinary research to COMBAT viral epidemics.