The Global Meningitis Genome Partnership (GMGP) was established to link genomics resources for the four leading causes of acute bacterial meningitis.
By connecting international efforts, GMGP helps coordinate strain identification and tracking. It expands participation across countries and ensures the potential of whole genome sequencing benefits public health worldwide.
The Global Meningitis Genome Partnership mission: closing gaps, sharing knowledge
Formed in 2020, the GMGP’s focus is:
- Developing guidelines on open access data sharing.
- Ensuring genomic data includes meaningful metadata to provide critical context.
- Identifying and filling gaps in global genome libraries, especially in underrepresented, high-burden countries.
- Facilitating the development of user-friendly tools that make genomic data accessible to researchers and policy makers worldwide.
Read more on the aims and objectives of the GMGP.
The Global Meningitis Genome Partnership’s role in defeating meningitis
The establishment of the GMGP has been an integral part of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Global Road Map to Defeat Meningitis by 2030.
The Road Map was developed by a WHO-led task force (including representatives from Meningitis Research Foundation). It offered the ideal opportunity to create a new vision for the role of whole genome sequencing in defeating meningitis.
By leveraging whole genome sequencing, we can enhance real-time surveillance of the pathogens driving bacterial meningitis. This approach helps us:
· Understand pathogen evolution.
· Detect emerging strains early.
· Respond effectively – on a global scale.
Genomics: a critical tool in defeating meningitis
Genomic surveillance uses innovative technology to study the genetic make-up of meningitis-causing bacteria. It’s essential for effective global control of meningitis. It enables prompt identification of emerging strains and supporting public health actions. It empowers health authorities to:
- Detect and characterize new strains, or those that are becoming resistant to treatment with antibiotics .
- Monitor transmission patterns across borders.
- Inform vaccine design and deployment strategies.
However, most genomic data currently comes from high-income countries with advanced sequencing capabilities. This skews our global picture of meningitis. It leaves high-burden, low- and middle-income countries underrepresented. The GMGP aims to correct this imbalance, democratising access to the power of genomics.
Meningitis Research Foundation was a founding member of the GMGP and is the Secretariat, supporting the partnership’s long-term collaboration. This builds on our long history of supporting genomics to prevent and defeat meningitis, including the establishment of the Global Meningitis Genome Library. This free, online resource provides the complete genetic blueprint of every meningococcus isolated as a cause of meningitis and sepsis in the UK.
The Global Meningitis Genome Partnership steering group members
- Chair: Dr. Brenda Kwambana-Adams, Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust
- Secretariat: Vinny Smith, Meningitis Research Foundation
- Professor Robert Heyderman, University College London
- Dr. Martin Antonio, Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Professor Dominique Caugant, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
- Dr. Nathalie El Omeiri, WHO PAHO
- Dr. Katya Fernandez, WHO
- Dr. LeAnne Fox, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Dr. Anne von Gottberg, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
- Dr. Muhamed Kheir Taha, Institut Pasteur Paris
- Dr. Anderson Latt, WHO-Afro
- Dr. Jay Lucidarme, UK-HSA
- Professor Martin Maiden, University of Oxford
- Dr. Lorenzo Pezzoli, WHO
This project is supported by a grant from Pfizer. Its work is independent, with no funder having influence on its focus.