GISAID

The Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) was brought to life on August 24, 2006 by a group of leading medical researchers from around the world, after announcing the formation of this international coalition for greater transparency, to improve the sharing of influenza data. This initiative was announced in a letter published in the journal Nature. Over 70 leading scientists have signed this letter including seven Nobel laureates.

GISAID is providing a platform including the operation of a publicly accessible EpiFlu database that is free of charge. Its users are requested to register and agree that they share their own data, credit the use of others' data, analyze findings jointly and publish results collaboratively, and maintain common access to technology derived from the data so that it can be used not only for research but for development of products such as diagnostics and vaccines. The data will be available immediately to all who sign on to use the database under the terms that they will acknowledge the source of the data and endeavor to work with those that provide the data.

GISAID is an international coalition of scientists who actively promote greater transparency to improve the sharing of influenza data. Greater transparency and more timely sharing of sequence data has been a goal of many researchers and stakeholders alike. The GISAID platform spans national borders and scientific disciplines, with leaders in the fields of veterinary medicine, human medicine, bioinformatics, epidemiology and intellectual property. This cross-disciplinary effort provides new means to communicate and share information, as each discipline has distinct interests but also shares similar goals. The Initiative came together to work around restrictions, which have previously prevented specifically the sharing of information on avian influenza (a.k.a. bird flu), with the hope that more shared information will help researchers understand how viruses spread, evolve, and potentially become pandemic, anticipating that its EpiFlu database will be a substantial improvement over previously available databases, by promoting influenza data to becoming available more quickly and to a wider audience than has been possible in the past.

GISAID’s application to determine the status of a US-registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible non-for-profit foundation has already been accepted by the US Department of Treasury. The foundation will have dependent fundraising vehicles in other territories to address its short- to mid-term as well as long-term funding needs, such as a self-sustaining endowment.

While certain public sector funding will be sought, the private sector plays a significant role in GISAID’s fundraising activities as a result of its corporate risk management goals. The combination of public and private funding from a number of entities affords the foundation a degree of independence from individual or national interests that is viewed favorable by many in the scientific community and in Ministries of Health around the world.

Goals
The Initiative has earned widespread international support around the goal of better understanding the spread and evolution of the influenza virus, its transmissibility and pathogenicity. With this goal in mind, the Initiative determined that scientists from different fields of expertise needed full access to comprehensive genetic sequencing, clinical and epidemiological data, as well as analysis from both human and animal isolates in order to better understand the virus and its potential mutation to a pandemic pathogen. The Initiative aims to provide developing countries with better access to scientific research and the development of potential pandemic flu vaccines to lessen its dependence on foreign aid. It is already hailed as a model for future initiatives.

GISAID will automatically deposit genomic sequences it collected, in publicly funded databases such as the INSDC, IVDB and LANL as soon as possible after analysis and validation, with a maximum delay of six months.

History
The Foundation was initially funded by Peter Bogner - a strategic advisor and international broadcasting executive - who serves as its founder and principal facilitator. Bogner has been directing the build-up of this platform by bringing together the world's leading scientists and stakeholders who are actively committed to accelerating understanding of this potential human pandemic by rapidly sharing scientific data and results.

On January 28, 2006 Bogner met with US Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and was told about the US Government's preparedness concept on dealing with the potential of a flu pandemic. Concerns about a pandemic scenario heightened. A subsequent public outcry by Italian veterinary researcher Ilaria Capua of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie outside of Venice, Italy, complaining about the World Health Organization's sharing practices, eventually led to a dialogue with Bogner and convinced researchers around the world to unite for the creation of GISAID.

Since the inception of the Initiative, Bogner announced his plans to transition out of a day-to-day role as the Chief Executive of The Bogner Organization, to allow him to devote more time to working with the GISAID Foundation as its director.

On November 20, 2006, the Initiative received the endorsement of both The Royal Society and The Academy of Medical Sciences.

On December 19, 2006, GISAID signed a cooperation agreement with the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, which leads a Swiss consortium to manage the GISAID Database on influenza virus strains. Under this agreement, the Lausanne based biotech company SmartGene is to provide services for the secure storage and analysis of genetic, epidemiological and clinical data.

On March 28, 2007, Indonesia’s Minister of Health, Siti Fadilah Supari announced the launch of the GISAID Database following a high-level WHO meeting in Jakarta on Responsible Practices for Sharing Avian Influenza Viruses.

On April 16, 2007, The Indonesian Academy of Sciences reaffirmed its endorsement of GISAID stating it shares the same ideals regarding free exchange and responsible sharing of information of avian influenza and emerging infectious diseases.

On April 17, 2007, The German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina endorses the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data for “it promotes one of the key values in scientific research: collaboration and integration between scientists in order to achieve improved outcomes for the benefit of human and animal health.”

Governance
The Foundation is governed by its Board of Trustees. The Members of the Board and the Chairman are elected. GISAID’s Board of Trustees is also charged with the oversight of potential conflicts of interest, in particular as it concerns the foundations funding sources.

GISAID's Scientific Advisory Board is composed of scientists who are leaders in their respective fields of study and who are as representative as possible of the geographic, ethnic and cultural diversity of the global scientific community. The Scientific Advisory Board is to provide guidance, leadership and advise on appropriate policies governing publication, public communication, access to, and dissemination of, data concerning influenza viruses, including those with pandemic or epidemic potential and to recommend appropriate policies for coordinated international oversight. Its members are elected by the members of a Scientific Executive Committee, which is overseen by the Scientific Advisory Board.