COMBAT dengue: India-EU science alliance takes aim at dengue in global health push
This project brings together top researchers, clinicians, and technologists across both continents.
The Swedish Karolinska Institute in Stockholm coordinates the COMBAT research initiative. The acronym stands for 'Advancing Pandemic Preparedness Innovative Multidisciplinary Strategies for COMBATing Severe Dengue'.
Dr Ujjwal Neogi, Project Coordinator, Karolinska Institute, told The Indian Express, 'Infectious diseases don't respect borders. The aim is to uncover the underlying mechanisms of severe dengue and reduce the disease burden. This can be done through innovation, precision medicine, and translational research, which will contribute to saving lives, protecting the brain, and strengthening preparedness for future outbreaks.'
'It is not just a response to dengue, but also a critical advancement in global health, integrating fundamental science with clinical and societal applications,' Dr Neogi further said.
Scientists involved in the project said that while dengue fever has primarily occurred in tropical and subtropical regions, the risk of contracting the disease is also rising in Europe due to climate change. At present, India bears a significant share of the dengue burden, and as per data from the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control, close to 12 lakh lab-confirmed dengue cases and over 1,650 deaths have been reported since 2019 till March this year.
However, experts like Dr Swarup Sarkar of the World Health Organization, who is advising the COMBAT project, said that the dengue problem is compounded by underreporting in India and other South Asian countries.
'Pending vaccine trial results and good clinical protocols, there is a need for biomarkers to identify potential severe cases that would be helpful to reduce adverse outcomes due to dengue,' Dr Sarkar said.
Led by Prof Arindam Maitra, National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, clinical samples will be collected from Artemis Hospital and Max Hospital in New Delhi, and Kasturba Medical College Hospital in Mangaluru. Scientists said that these sites, located in regions with high dengue prevalence, are central to generating critical scientific insights that will not only strengthen India's outbreak response capabilities but also contribute to global knowledge alongside cohorts in Guatemala. They also said that the data and findings will support the European Union's efforts to enhance pandemic preparedness against emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
Scientists said what sets COMBAT apart is its integration of high-end, innovative, and affordable technologies seldom seen in virus research. The project employs brain organoids, miniature, lab-grown human brain-like tissues, to investigate how dengue invades the nervous system.
Advanced super-resolution and photonic microscopy allow scientists to visualise the virus in action within living cells, while artificial intelligence sifts through complex patient data to discover biomarkers that could predict severe disease outcomes. The approach is a fusion of virology, physics, engineering, and data science, emblematic of the EU-India strategy to position science at the crossroads of innovation and accessibility, according to scientists.
They also noted that COMBAT dengue also comes at a vital moment in India-EU relations, following the renewal of the Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement until 2030. Though dengue is the immediate target, the platform being developed has wider ambitions. The technologies and workflows created under COMBAT – from multi-modal imaging to AI-integrated biological pipelines – are designed to be rapidly adaptable to other pathogens.
Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition.
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