The Guardian As the UK Pandemic Sciences Network conference kicks off in Glasgow, virus expert Prof Emma Thomson says new technologies are boosting science’s ability to fight novel strains of infectious diseases
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Kat Lay, Global health correspondentWed 23 Apr 2025 03.50 EDTShare
Prof Emma Thomson is someone who knows a thing or two about pandemics. As the recently appointed director of the Medical Research Council, University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR) and a World Heath Organization consultant, Thomson is one of the country’s leading virus experts.
“We used to think that pandemics would occur maybe once in our lifetimes. Now, it’s definitely within the next few years. It could even be tomorrow,” she says.
But, Thomson says, “amazing” advances in technology, including genetic sequencing, mRNA vaccines and artificial intelligence (AI), are boosting the world’s ability to deal with these threats, even as travel, urbanisation and the changing climate make pandemics much more likely. The key will be sustaining those capacities and making sure they are available everywhere.