Welcome to the Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium
Welcome to EPIC – the Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium.
EPIC partners play an integral role in infectious disease research, from work that controlled diphtheria and helped eradicate smallpox 100 years ago, to current research in antimicrobial resistance and infection control.
Today, our collective fight against infectious threats, including COVID-19, highly pathogenic avian influenza and mpox, makes clear that there’s never been a more important time to advance EPIC – the Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium as a critical hub in the pan-Canadian effort to combat future pandemics.
Building on our momentum in combatting the SARS-CoV-2 virus, EPIC will marshal the advanced research infrastructure and the world-renowned research and training expertise of the EPIC partners to allow an integrated innovative response to infectious diseases.
EPIC is a collaborative initiative among:
- University of Toronto
- The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute
- Sunnybrook Research Institute
- University Health Network
- Unity Health Toronto
These globally-leading institutions will make a difference to preventing the next pandemic and enhancing the impact of the life sciences ecosystem in Ontario.
These are the four pillars of EPIC’s work
Toronto High Containment Facility
Toronto’s only Combined Containment Level 3 (C-CL3) facility for the study of high-risk human pathogens has been critical to understanding the viral pathogens and developing therapeutics and treatments. Infectious diseases continue to pose a threat to Canadians’ health and prosperity. Investments in the facility will prepare Ontario and Canada for future pandemics.
Training & Talent
EPIC offers immersive and cross-disciplinary training to a diverse cohort of talent researching infectious diseases, who are ready to work in industry and academia. Hundreds of researchers, clinicians and lab staff will gain access to leading-edge technologies, develop the skills to turn discovery into solutions, and connect Canada to global networks of pandemic surveillance and response.
Transformative Research
EPIC will connect multiple disciplines to address infectious diseases. Insights made possible by state-of-the-art platforms that accelerate the discovery and production of therapies will combine with the expertise of clinicians, engineers, public health experts and scientists to translate treatments to patients and improve their outcomes.
Knowledge Translation
EPIC will play an important role as a knowledge broker. It will create a hub for potential commercialization of novel therapeutics. New researchers at EPIC will be equipped to explain bench science to decision-makers and the public, as well as to translate discoveries into made-in-Canada products and solutions to global health challenges.
EPIC News
Putting knowledge into action: the third annual symposium on antimicrobial resistance advances our fight against AMR
December 16, 2024 By Sunitha Chari Coinciding with the World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Week, the Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium (EPIC) once again co-hosted the third annual AMR Symposium on November 19 and 20 empowered by bioMérieux Canada and...
Pre-exposure prophylaxis has emerged as a powerful strategy to deal with HIV burden, but challenges remain: a Q&A with Rupert Kaul
Rupert Kaul is a clinician scientist whose research focuses on mucosal immunity and HIV transmission and a world leader in HIV research and medicine December 3, 2024 By Sunitha Chari December 1, 2024, marked World AIDS Day, and forty years since the discovery of the...
From surveillance to control: U of T researchers are tackling the AMR problem from all angles
From left: Véronique Taylor, Duncan Carruthers-Lay, Marcus Dillon, Viplav Agarwal, Michael Fralick November 28, 2024 By Sunitha Chari As communities around the world marked World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week from November 18 to 24, 2024 we shine the...
