Operation Outbreak Facilitates Biosecurity Training with ICGEB in Trieste, Italy

The Operation Outbreak team facilitated a dynamic tabletop exercise on biosecurity last month in Trieste, Italy, as part of a training course on pathogen detection and biosecurity for 18 early- and mid-career scientists from Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

From February 23–27, Operation Outbreak’s Kian Sani and Sellers Hill participated in the Training Course on Pathogen Detection and Biosecurity, hosted at the headquarters of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Trieste. The program was co-organized by ICGEB and the United Nations Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit, and supported by Norway and the United Kingdom.

Over the course of the five-day program, participants received hands-on laboratory training in molecular detection tools including qRT-PCR and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), as well as instruction in genomic surveillance and bioinformatic analysis used in outbreak response.

Operation Outbreak led a scenario-based tabletop exercise on the final day of the training, which simulated outbreak response and decision-making in a fictional middle-income nation. Participants were tasked with interpreting evolving epidemiological data and coordinating response strategies in response to an evolving biosecurity threat.

The training, which leveraged Operation Outbreak’s Bluetooth-based outbreak simulation technology to generate real-time epidemiological data, was designed to strengthen regional expertise in outbreak detection, laboratory biosecurity, and the governance of dual-use research of concern.

Experts from international organizations and research institutions—including the World Health Organization, The World Academy of Sciences, and laboratories across Europe and Asia—also contributed lectures and technical sessions throughout the week.

Media Contact:
Sellers Hill
+1 (857) 858-5798
sellers@operationoutbreak.org
www.operationoutbreak.org

About Operation Outbreak, Inc.
Operation Outbreak is a nonprofit organization that uses experiential learning and outbreak simulations to build practical outbreak preparedness skills among students, professionals, and policymakers worldwide.