Caribbean strengthens frontline defences through Genomics and regional collaboration

Dec 24, 2025 News

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Earlier this month, the University of the West Indies (UWI) hosted a virtual regional meeting to strengthen regional collaboration in infectious disease diagnostics, genomic surveillance and scientific research for over 40 veterinary and public health officers, laboratory professionals and academic researchers from some 10 Caribbean countries and territories.

Held in collaboration the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), the session titled “Strengthening Partnerships and Cooperation for the Advancement of Infectious Disease Diagnostics and Research in the Caribbean” was organised by Professor Christine Carrington, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Virology and Dr. Arianne Brown-Jordan, Laboratory Coordinator and Research Scientist at The UWI/PAHO/WHO Reference Sequencing Laboratory, Faculty of Medical Sciences, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.

A key outcome of the meeting was a shared commitment to enhancing regional coordination and minimising duplication of effort as genomic surveillance expands across the Caribbean. Participants identified next steps, including specialised training in genomics and bioinformatics, the formulation of national genomic surveillance strategies and greater advocacy for integrating genomics into public health policy and preparedness frameworks.

Reflecting on the event, Professor Carrington noted, “We all gained valuable insights into the needs and concerns of other stakeholders, the capacity available to help Caribbean countries access and apply cutting-edge genomic tools and most importantly how we can support each other.” Overall, the meeting reinforced the critical role of partnerships among academic institutions, regional health agencies and international organisations in building resilient, data-driven systems to strengthen health security and safeguard public health throughout the Caribbean.

Professor Christine Carrington emphasised the role of academic institutions in supporting regional infectious disease surveillance and highlighted The UWI’s infectious disease genomics activities in this sphere. Professor Carrington also introduced plans for a UWI Centre of Excellence for One Health molecular epidemiology and genomics, envisioned as a key resource for research, training and regional collaboration.

The meeting highlighted the need to expand sequencing capacity, strengthen hospital-laboratory data capture systems and better align genomic data with existing epidemiological and surveillance frameworks.  Participants addressed practical challenges of implementing genomic surveillance within public health systems, including workforce development, sustainable financing, policy integration and equitable access to funding, tools and data.

Dr. Jairo Méndez-Rico, PAHO Regional Advisor for Viral Diseases, delivered the opening remarks and presented on “Strengthening Laboratory Systems and Networks for Health Security.”  He outlined PAHO’s ongoing initiatives across Latin America and the Caribbean and emphasized the integration of laboratory platforms with broader disease surveillance systems.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sue Min Nathaniel, Manager of Laboratory Services and Networks at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), discussed advancing infectious disease surveillance in the Caribbean. Dr Nathaniel highlighted the region’s unique vulnerabilities, the importance of timely, accurate data for rapid detection and coordinated response and CARPHA’s approach to strengthen health security across its 26 member states.

Feature presenter, Professor Nuno Faria, Professor of Virus Genomic Epidemiology at the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, explained how infectious disease genomics can provide actionable public health intelligence. Drawing on examples from epidemics of mosquito-borne arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya and zika virus, he discussed the role of viral sequencing, outbreak sampling strategies and how genomic data informs public health interventions. He also emphasised the need for genomics to be fully embedded within surveillance networks and highlighted the role of metagenomics for detecting pathogens not picked up by routine diagnostic testing. Valuable information on available tools and databases for genomic epidemiology was also shared. Following this, Dr. Brown-Jordan presented on integrating genomic data into national public health surveillance and the importance of countries developing national strategies and directives for integrating genomics into national infectious disease surveillance frameworks.

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• Caribbean, frontline defences, Genomics, PAHO, West Indies

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