News from the Group

The EMLab participates in the medical EU-MODEX in Çanakkale, Türkiye (18-22 Sept. 2023)

The European Mobile Laboratory (EMLab), managed through the Virology Department and Mobile Laboratory group at BNITM, successfully participated in the medical European Union Module Exercise (EU-MODEX¹) for civil protection capacities under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM²) in Çanakkale, Türkiye (18-22 September 2023). This was part of the final step towards certification of the EMLab in the EU Civil Protection Pool (ECPP³) as a mobile laboratory capacity from Germany.

The field exercise simulated a medical emergency in the aftermath of an earthquake in Çanakkale, Türkiye, requiring the deployment of different ECPP capacities including emergency medical teams (EMTs), ambulance services, air medical evacuation, technical support assistance teams (TAST), as well as mobile labs. The EMLab team worked closely with other response capacities and provided support to EMTs and local hospitals with basic point of care tests, molecular diagnostics and genomic surveillance.

Check out the official event video from the MODEX press team here:

https://youtu.be/Wfoi_n6imSs?feature=shared

Interoperability and coordination in emergency situation are one of the key components in such MODEX and EMLab, in addition to collaborating closely with various response capacities, also interacted with stakeholders from other relevant organizations including the European Commission (EC), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations (UN), Turkish Ministry of Health and Turkish Ministry for Disaster Management and Civil Protection (AFAD).

The EMLab team comprised 12 experts from the BNITM and from other institutions part of the EMLab network including the Robert Koch Institute (Berlin, Germany), Scientific Solutions (Stockholm, Sweden) and University of Pécs (Pécs, Hungary).

The image shows a large truck with opened trailer that is loaded with stacks of orange transport boxes. — EMLab boxes arrived at the base of operations to start setup of the lab, in an inflatable tent. The laboratory unit was shipped from the EMLab HQ in Hamburg, Germany and arrived in Çanakkale by truck through the collaboration and support of the Turkish Ministry of Health. ©EMLab, BNITM

The image is shot in the dark. In the foregound is a large red tent with a brightly lit lab inside. Behind the tent blocks of flats are visible. — EMLab set up their laboratory operations in an inflatable tent on a base of operations shared with other response capacities including the Turkish Type IV RRML and Type II EMT. ©EMLab, BNITM

The #EMLAB @BNITM_de, as capacity of Germany, has taken part in a @eu_modex field simulation exercise in Çanakkale, Turkey, to prepare for natural infectious disease threats. Important step to deploy as part of the EU Civil Protection Pool @eu_echo
👉🏽https://t.co/ALZsbeomxM #UCPM pic.twitter.com/L5GuR6zHJd
— Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (@BNITM_de) September 21, 2023

The image shows a laboratory in a red tent with staff in lab coats working on benches and with glove boxes. — EMLab team members worked inside a field laboratory setup inside an inflatable tent during the EU MODEX. ©EMLab, BNITM

A picture of the twelve members of the EMLab Team in front of a white truck, all wearing blue EMLab shirts and vests, looking tired but very happy. — The twelve members of the EMLab team who participated in the EU MODEX in Çanakkale, Türkiye 17-22 September 2023. ©EMLab, BNITM

The image shows a lab bench lit by a camping light while a staff member pipettes samples into tubes in a green rack. — EMLab member preparing samples in the field laboratory for RT-PCR based human diagnostic tests as part of the MODEX and ECPP certification process. ©EMLab, BNITM

First step in the expansion of genomic surveillance capacity in Guinea and Nigeria

To strengthen the pre-existing sequencing capacities of our GHPP-partner laboratories in Conakry (Guinea) and Irrua (Nigeria), a joint two-week training on metagenomic sequencing was held in Conakry, Guinea, in June 2023.

Following the successful establishment of two SARS-CoV-2 field sequencing laboratories at the Laboratoire des Fièvres Hemorragiques Virales en Guinée (CRV-LFHVG) in Guinea in 2021, and at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) in Nigeria in 2022, the Outbreak Preparedness and Response (OPR) BNITM team continues its long-term program of sequencing capacity reinforcement in our partner laboratories in West Africa. Our project CELESTA, which is part of the new program phase of GHPP (2023-2025), will expand the genomic surveillance capacity for RNA viruses to support the national surveillance system against future epidemics and pandemics.

Taking advantage of the previously established Nigeria-Guinea cooperation, a team from BNITM and four lab scientists from ISTH traveled to CRV-LFHVG in Conakry in June 2023 to conduct a two-week training course. Four laboratory staff from CRV-LFHVG also participated in the training. The main goal was to train local sequencing staff on a new next generation sequencing workflow for metagenomic sequencing, from sample preparation to in-country analysis. During the training the local staff was also introduced to general concepts of virus phylogeny and new bioinformatic analysis tools.