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Flaviviruses, such as Dengue virus (DENV) and West Nile virus (WNW), are viruses spread by mosquitoes that cause serious illnesses in humans and animals. They are becoming increasingly common in Europe, with both imported and local cases on the rise due to urban growth, climate change, and global travel. Consequently, almost half the world’s population is at risk, and the economic impact is huge ($12 billion per year). Currently, only a few vaccines with limited effectiveness on DENV and WNW exist, and no specific treatment for humans is available. Therefore, better understanding of the immune response and improving diagnosis is crucial to controlling these viruses. InFlaMe project aims to help the EU better prepare for, and respond to the outbreaks of DENV and WNV. This four-year project focuses on three main areas: understanding why some people get more seriously ill compared to others when infected, developing new treatments, particularly ones that can block how the viruses interact with the human body, and tracking the spread of the viruses in both people and animals using a "One Health" approach, which looks at human, animal, and environmental health together. Based on these outcomes, the project ultimately aims to strengthen the EU's ability to fight DENV and WNV epidemic and pandemic threats and develop effective emergency plans.
InFlaMe consortium, led by the Professor Fausto Baldanti from the Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo in Pavia, Italy, unites partners from Italy (Fondazione Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare INGM, Universita Degli Studi di Firenze, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna Bruno Ubertini, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche), France (Institut Imagine, Institut Pasteur), Austria (Medizinische Universitaet Wien), Czechia (Masarykova Univerzita), and Spain (Asociacion Centro De Investigacion Cooperativa En Biociencias) that bring unparallel expertise in diagnosis of flavivirus infections in humans and animals, host-pathogen interactions and drug discovery.
The consortium will enable the EU to work out an integrated contingency plan (pandemic preparedness) that will go beyond individual national emergencies.
The official start of the project, set for the 1st of January 2025, was marked with a first in-person meeting of the consortium members, with the participation of the Project Officer from European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) and members of the Advisory Board, at the Palazzo Bellisomi-Vistarino in Pavia, Italy, on the 4th and 5th of February 2025.The meeting provided an excellent opportunity for each partner of the consortium to introduce their teams, expertise, and roles within the project, as well as to engage in detailed discussion on the objectives and tasks for each work package and assess potential risks, along with strategies for mitigation. In his welcoming speech, the coordinator emphasized the consortium's responsibility to deliver results, highlighting their significance for the future, especially in light of recent outbreaks, as well as the importance of InFlaMe for policymakers in relation to the “One Health” approach.
The project website, which has recently been launched, will serve as a platform to inform and educate the citizens on the goals and milestones of the consortium in their effort to understand, fight, and prevent future DNV and WNV pandemics and epidemics.
In parallel, study and consortium news will also be continuously shared through the project’s LinkedIn page.