Data-driven research in epidemiology and infection biology 

Effective response to future outbreaks to infection caused by viruses, bacteria or other microbes requires thorough knowledge of the life cycle and infection pattern of each individual virus/microbe, along with a better understanding of global transmission patterns and changes in DNA over time.

Here too, huge quantities of data are now being generated that can be used to develop epidemiological models with ever greater precision. 

Data-driven research in the fields of infection biology and epidemiology also builds on knowledge from the three other sub-areas described above, and links them together. To predict which viruses and organisms are capable of infecting the human population, we must first understand both ecological and evolutionary processes. In addition to specialist knowledge of viruses/microbes, development of new drugs and vaccines requires knowledge of molecular structure and function. Research in precision medicine is also needed to understand how people of different ages and differing disease histories respond to infections and therapeutics.