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About CORCs and the R&D Blueprint
The Poxvirus CORC is part of the WHO R&D Blueprint initiative, designed to boost preparedness for outbreaks with pandemic potential.
The WHO R&D Blueprint initiative aims to accelerate the development of medical countermeasures for pathogens with pandemic potential, including mechanisms to enable the rapid launch of clinical trials during outbreaks.
It has identified a set of priority virus families (and one bacterial grouping), each of which is the focus of a CORC.
As well as coordinating the network of CORCs, the central R&D Blueprint team leads on the development of clinical trial synopses, which set out potential clinical trial designs for outbreak situations, and supports the launch of trials in partnership with national authorities.
Clinical trial protocols for different medical countermeasures are developed by CORCs. These are pre-reviewed by regulatory authorities and research ethics committees, so they can be rapidly finalised when an outbreak begins and research can begin as rapidly as possible.
Technical Advisory Groups
The R&D Blueprint team also organises Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) that recommend which candidates should be included in vaccine and therapeutics trials during outbreaks.
CORC network
CORCs have been established for multiple priority pathogen families.
Each CORC has been developing R&D Roadmaps for priority pathogens within their viral families.
• Arenaviruses (e.g. Lassa fever)
• Coronaviruses (e.g. COVID-19, MERS)
• Filoviruses (e.g. Ebolaviruses)
• Flaviviruses (e.g. yellow fever, dengue, Zika)
• Hantaviruses (e.g. Andesvirus)
• Nairoviruses (e.g. Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever virus)
• Orthomyxoviruses (e.g. influenza viruses)
• Paramyxoviruses (e.g. Nipah virus)
• Phenuiviruses (e.g. Rift Valley fever virus)
• Poxviruses (e.g. mpox)
• Togaviruses (e.g. chikungunya virus)
• Bacteria