Microfluidic in vitro synthetic biology platform

BiosecurityÌýin the Age of Engineering BiologyÌý

51³Ô¹ÏÍø isÌýconveningÌýa new Global Biosecurity Network of Excellence, a platform for action-focused, science-led research and delivery on the biological threats reshaping globalÌýhealthÌýsecurity.Ìý

We are pleased to invite you to a high-level roundtable on the margins of the 2026 United Nations General Assembly and High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, focused on the development of an AI-driven biosecurity response system.

The roundtable will bring together experts from science, health, frontier AI labs, the biotech and life sciences industry, funders, policymakers from defence to health resilience, and international organisations. A key aim is to bridge existing global health security and pandemic preparedness architecture and networks with frontier work in engineering biology and AI, connecting both to the surveillance, response, and coordination systems this new moment demands.Ìý

The challengeÌý

Advances in engineering biology and artificial intelligence are lowering the barriers to creating biological agents, with both legitimate and malicious applications. The systems that protect us today were built to catch naturally occurring outbreaks. They are not designed for a world in which biological threats can be deliberately engineered, whether that means an altered pathogen, a novel toxin, or an agent unfamiliar enough to slip past existing detection tools. Closing that gap requires two things working together: the ability to design and testÌýcountermeasures at speed, and the intelligence to know when, where, and how to deploy them. No single institution, government, or company can build this alone.

The discussion will be structured around four areas, each intended to identifyÌýwhere partners in the room can contribute, and where new coalitions need to form:Ìý

  • RapidÌýcountermeasure design: How AI-driven biological design could shrink the path fromÌýidentifyingÌýa threat to having a validated response ready to deploy, from years down to weeks.Ìý
  • Early warning and threat intelligence: How we detect and make sense of unfamiliar biological signals early enough to act, and how we tell a genuine emerging threat apart from noise.Ìý
  • Getting the response right: How newÌýcountermeasures get tested and deployed responsiblyÌýforÌýdifferent typesÌýof threats, under real-world constraints of supply, capacity, and public trust.Ìý
  • Governance and coordinated action: What frameworks and international partnerships are needed to act with confidence before all the evidence is in.Ìý

    Speakers

    Hugh Brady headshotProfessor Hugh Brady is President of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. Prior to his appointment at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, he served as Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol from 2015 to 2022, and President of University College Dublin (UCD) from 2004 to 2013. Trained in general medicine and nephrology, he is an international authority on the pathogenesis of renal inflammation and diabetic kidney disease.

    Professor Karen Polizzi headshotProfessor Karen Polizzi is Professor of Biotechnology at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Department of Chemical Engineering. Her research focuses on synthetic biology, a key tool in responding to future biosecurity threats, with applications in vaccine development and reducing reliance on agricultural systems that are vulnerable to climate change.

    Professor Azra Ghani headshotProfessor Azra Ghani MBE FMedSci is Chair in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s School of Public Health, Director of the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and Academic Director of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Global Singapore. Her work focuses on infectious diseases and vaccine development, essential in responding to potential biosecurity threats.

    About Biosecurity at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø

    Biosecurity in the age of engineering biology is an international issue. Effective responses require trusted partnerships between nations with aligned values, complementary capabilities, and shared commitment to open science. The United Kingdom is precisely such a partner, and 51³Ô¹ÏÍø sits at the heart of the UK’s scientific leadership in this spaceÌýwithÌýstrongÌýlinksÌýacross theÌýmedical and life sciencesÌýspectrum including UKHSA, WHO, aÌýnetwork of world-leading hospitals.

    51³Ô¹ÏÍø was the first UKÌýuniversityÌýtoÌýestablishÌýa dedicated centre for engineering biology (originally founded as a centre for synthetic biology). Furthermore, we host world-leading researchers in infectious diseases and epidemiological modelling who played a leading role internationally in the response to COVID-19 as well as a wide range of other infectious disease threats (including influenza, Ebola, mpox and Zika).ÌýÌýToday, we hold an unrivalled position in the UK, characterised by:Ìý

    • The strongest research and training pipeline in the country across these domains, spanning undergraduate,ÌýpostgraduateÌýand postdoctoral levelsÌý
    • A truly multidisciplinary approach, integrating life sciences, medicine,ÌýengineeringÌýand economicsÌý
    • An established base for globally funded research, that has brought in funding from the national agencies of dozens of countries, as well as from charities, multinational companies and from major international philanthropic donors and funds
    • World-leadingÌýexpertiseÌýin synthetic biology, infectious disease research, biomanufacturing, epidemiology and AI
    • Demonstrated translationalÌýexpertiseÌýboth to rapidly bring countermeasure tools to fruition and in providing policy support globally
    • A vibrant translational ecosystem anchored at our White City Campus, home to a growing cluster of start-ups in both engineering biology and security
    • The LondonÌýBiofoundry, which is one of Europe’s premier automated biology platforms, purpose-built for rapid, high-throughput biological design and testing
    Add event to calendar
    See all events