Emerging and re-emerging pathogens
Detecting and responding to new and re-emerging threats before they spread.
Infectious disease threats rarely announce themselves in advance. This research cluster focuses on the surveillance, rapid characterization and early response capacity needed to identify and control emerging and re-emerging pathogens before they gain a foothold. Our research response capacity is designed to fill the critical timing gap between when a new pathogen emerges and when formal funding calls and institutional responses catch up. We support the very first line of research questions asked.
Researchers across microbiology, virology, , applied sciences, engineering, One Health, public health, and other diverse disciplines work together to strengthen detection systems, accelerate outbreak investigation and build rapid research response capacity to help maintain and mitigate a potential pandemic before it takes hold. EPIC also supports training in this space through partnerships with One Health platforms like Canopy, helping build the next generation of researchers equipped to respond to emerging zoonotic threats.
EPIC news on emerging and re-emerging pathogens
Trainees trace a mystery illness in EPIC and Canopy’s interactive outbreak investigation exercise
Ash Porter presents the outbreak investigation exercise to the early-career researchers and trainees. October 27, 2026 By Megan Fleming On October 2nd, the Emerging Pathogens & Infectious Diseases Consortium (EPIC) and the Canadian One Health Training Program on...
Preparing for the next outbreak: Highlights from the 2026 EPIC Symposium
From left to right: Susy Hota, Elke Mühlberger, Daniel Warshafsky, Michelle Murti and Roger Paredes (Photo credit: Horst Herget). October 26, 2026 By Betty Zou On Friday, October 16, 2026, the Emerging Pathogens and Infectious Diseases Consortium hosted its fourth...
How worried should we be about plague? A U of T expert breaks it down.
A scanning electron microscope image shows Yersinia pestis bacteria (yellow cylinders) attached to structures inside a flea's gut (purple). Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). October 19, 2026 By Betty Zou In early October, a...