Letter from the President

Letter from the President

Of all the challenges that threaten the world’s population, biosecurity – including highly infectious viruses being used as biological agents to harm mankind – poses one of the greatest, global risks.   Viruses cause millions of deaths each year.  Old, young, rich and poor – all are susceptible to these silent killers.

The Global Virus Network (GVN) is an essential and critical defense against viruses that pose a clear and present threat to public health.  It is a coalition comprised of eminent virologists spanning more than 30 countries worldwide, and working to advance knowledge about how to identify and diagnose such viruses, how they spread and make us sick, as well as to develop drugs and vaccines to prevent illness and death while providing the patients with the best treatments.

No single institution in the world has expertise in all viral areas except the GVN.  GVN coalesces the best medical virologists to leverage individual strengths and to focus global teams of specialists on key scientific problems.  The power of GVN lies in its global reach, the depth of its science, and its commitment to solving viral challenges facing the human population.

GVN has an important role to play in our preparedness and response to emerging viral threats, especially in the aspects related to research and development, working in close coordination with all national and international institutions at stake.

It has been a great honor for me to be appointed President of the Global Virus Network.  I look forward to helping the GVN grow and develop, both scientifically, operationally and financially as well as to working with Dr. Robert Gallo (GVN Co-Founder and International Scientific Advisor) and all GVN members without whom the GVN would not have been possible.

I hope you will join me.

 

Christian Bréchot, MD, PhD

President

Global Virus Network (GVN)