The value of open-source clinical science in pandemic response: lessons from ISARIC

Abstract

The International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) is a global federation of clinical research networks that work collaboratively to prevent illness and deaths from infectious disease outbreaks. In 2014, we proposed that effective and timely research during outbreaks of emerging infections would benefit from pre-prepared research tools, global collaboration, and research-ready clinical networks.1 After applying this research model to several outbreaks, and particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, we can now explore what has been achieved to date.