The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) will join the world’s largest network of 20 laboratories for standardized testing of epidemic and pandemic vaccines, the network operator said on Wednesday.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which runs the network, aims to accelerate vaccine development in response to future outbreaks, targeting a 100-day turnaround. These efforts are focused on combating infectious threats such as Covid-19, influenza, and the yet-unknown “Disease X.”

According to CEPI, as members of the network, KDCA and IVI will collaborate with scientific institutions across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australasia, and Europe as a “centralised laboratory,” using standardized tools and protocols to evaluate multiple vaccine candidates developed by different companies -- effectively testing them “under one roof."

“When multiple vaccine candidates are undergoing testing, differences in how data is collected become an issue. In addition to potential variations in markers of immunity, there can be distinctions in how and where samples are collected, transported, and stored,” said Dr. Kent Kester, Executive Director of Vaccine R&D at CEPI. “This impacts the quality and usefulness of the data produced. KDCA and IVI’s new membership in our Centralised Laboratory Network will help reduce these issues, enabling more reliable and faster evaluation of potentially life-saving vaccines under development.”

Song Man-ki, Deputy Director General of Science at IVI, said KDCA and IVI can increase their contributions to pandemic preparedness and global health security by enhancing their shared capabilities in clinical sample analysis and vaccine development.

“By joining CEPI’s Centralised Laboratory Network together with IVI, KDCA expects to strengthen global partnerships in vaccine evaluation, enhancing preparedness for emerging infectious diseases and potential pandemics,” said Lim Seung-kwan, Commissioner of KDCA. “To strengthen global health security, we will continue to expand our R&D infrastructure for vaccine development, targeting CEPI priority pathogens and Disease X, while deepening global research collaboration.”

Established in 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, CEPI’s Centralised Laboratory Network has significantly contributed to the development of several Covid-19 vaccines, as well as those being designed against other emerging infectious diseases. CEPI has provided up to $57 million to operate the network.

To date, CEPI has allocated approximately $350 million to Korean companies and institutions advancing research to prepare for future epidemic and pandemic threats. This includes existing partnerships with KDCA and IVI.

Since joining CEPI in 2020, the Korean government has contributed $51 million to support CEPI’s global efforts.