Welcome to the Emerging Pathogens & Infectious Diseases Consortium
Welcome to EPIC – the Emerging Pathogens and Infectious Diseases Consortium.
EPIC brings together researchers, clinicians, and institutions across the University of Toronto and its hospital partners to advance infectious disease research and build lasting resilience against emerging threats.
This work builds on a long legacy: EPIC partners have played an integral role in infectious disease research for a century, from work that helped control diphtheria and eradicate smallpox, to today’s front-line research in antimicrobial resistance and infection control. Our collective response to COVID-19, highly pathogenic avian influenza, and mpox makes clear there’s never been a more important time to advance that work, from emerging pathogens and antimicrobial resistance to health inequities and public trust.
Building on this momentum, EPIC marshals the advanced research infrastructure and world-renowned research and training expertise of our EPIC partners to deliver an integrated, innovative response to the infectious disease challenges facing communities today and in the future.
Seven EPIC research clusters
Antimicrobial resistance
Protecting the effectiveness of the medicines we depend on.
Chronic infections and long-term sequelae
Addressing the long-term burden of infections that don’t resolve.
Emerging and re-emerging pathogens
Detecting and responding to new and re-emerging threats before they spread.
Health inequities
Ensuring infectious disease research and response reach everyone, equitably.
Health systems resilience
Building health systems that bend, not break, under infectious threats.
Misinformation, disinformation and public trust
Strengthening public trust through clear, credible information.
Sepsis and acute infections
Improving detection and treatment when every minute counts.
EPIC News
U of T receives $35 million to modernize high containment facility
The University of Toronto has received $35 million in critical research infrastructure funding from the federal government to revitalize the Toronto High Containment Facility (THCF), an investment that will support a planned $85-million transformation of the facility into the largest academic high-containment research centre in Canada. With significantly increased capacity for research and training, the revitalized Toronto High Containment Facility will be able to drive innovation, enhance pandemic preparedness and strengthen Ontario and Canada’s health security.
Study identifies new SARS-CoV-2 variant in white-tailed deer and first evidence of deer-to-human transmission
A team of researchers led by EPIC member Samira Mubareka has characterized a new, highly divergent variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Ontario white-tailed deer. They also found the first evidence of deer-to-human transmission.
EPIC announces new 12-person steering committee
The Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium (EPIC) is pleased to introduce its inaugural steering committee. Meet the 12 members of our steering committee!
