Zoetis Creates Center for Transboundary and Emerging Diseases

“First to know and fast to market” is the phrase surrounding the newest addition to the Zoetis website—the Center for Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. This virtual hub was created to help control outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Zoetis established its Emerging Infectious Disease Program in 2008 as a way to rapidly respond to emerging infectious disease threats, and this new center builds upon that program.

Boasting a One Health approach, the center will focus on the approximately 200 diseases identified by the World Health Organization as zoonotic, such as rift valley fever, rabies, Hendra virus, and foot-and-mouth disease. It will also strive to help control current animal diseases, such as swine fever and avian influenza.

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According to Zoetis, the company will work closely with the leaders of government, health organizations, and the veterinary and livestock agricultural communities “to identify infectious disease threats early and develop solutions, including vaccines and diagnostic tests, to help rapidly control them.”

The center harnesses 4 capabilities to respond rapidly to transboundary and emerging diseases:

• Expertise in traditional and rational vaccine development
• Alliance with centers of excellence
• Regulatory affairs
• Flexible manufacturing capacity

Think of the new center as a “coordinating hub” that operates online, allowing scientists to engage quickly and easily with leaders across the globe when outbreaks of new or ever-present infectious diseases occur.

“We at Zoetis recognize that infectious diseases are occurring with greater frequency and geographic impact, driven by climate change, urbanization, and increasing global travel and trade,” Mahesh Kumar, PhD, senior vice president of biologics research and development at Zoetis, said. “With the advent of the Center for Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, we are enhancing our capabilities and capacity to respond sooner and faster to help control infectious disease whenever and wherever needed.”