Title : Marine based strategies against climate-driven infectious threats
Abstract:
Ongoing climate change is reshaping ecosystems worldwide, creating new niches and conditions that accelerate the emergence and spread of infectious diseases. In the marine realm, higher ocean temperatures, altered currents, and shifting species distributions are increasingly linked to the proliferation and evolution of pathogens. Recognizing the interconnectedness of environmental and human health, the ISIDORe (Integrated Services for Infectious Disease Outbreak Research) project champions a comprehensive, One Health-oriented strategy to bolster Europe’s ability to predict, detect, and respond to epidemic-prone pathogens—including those shaped by climate factors.
The European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC) expands ISIDORe’s reach by offering advanced facilities, bioinformatics expertise, and a wide range of marine organism collections to address climate-driven infectious disease challenges. By operating marine observatories and running sampling programs, EMBRC enables the early detection and continuous monitoring of new or evolving pathogens under shifting environmental conditions. Meanwhile, the centre’s high-throughput screening platforms draw on the ocean’s remarkable chemical diversity to discover novel antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory substances. These efforts, combined with research into how temperature fluctuations, ocean acidification, and pollution affect pathogen transmission, contribute to effective, evidence-based interventions in both ecosystem management and public health. Moreover, EMBRC’s focus on marine-derived materials—such as polysaccharides and lipids—opens new avenues for vaccine adjuvant development, bolstering immunization strategies against pathogens that thrive in a warming world.
Within the ISIDORe consortium, EMBRC’s marine-based initiatives expand traditional infectious disease research by integrating ecology, climate science, and public health perspectives. This collaborative effort helps develop innovative, fast-acting strategies that strengthen Europe’s capacity to anticipate, track, and control climate-driven outbreaks.
