Amazon says new tool will speed up virus detection, research

Amazon has launched a global initiative to accelerate Covid-19 diagnosis, research and testing through its cloud-based Amazon Web Services (AWS) subsidiary.
"Better diagnostics will help accelerate treatment and containment, and in time, shorten the course of this epidemic," explained Teresa Carlson, AWS vice president for worldwide public sector..
The $20-million (Bt655 million) AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative will support research teams around the globe to bring better, more accurate diagnostics solutions to market faster, said AWS.
"The programme will be open to accredited research institutions and private entities that are using AWS to support research-oriented workloads for the development of point-of-care diagnostics (testing that can be done at home or at a clinic with same-day results).”
Carlson said the initiative will make a difference for several reasons.
“First, accurate detection is the tip of the spear for any effective pandemic response strategy. Second, diagnostics research has historically been underfunded and largely deprioritised in favour of a focus on vaccines. Third, organisations working on diagnostics need reliable, scaleable compute power, which we can deliver to them along with industry-leading services like analytics and machine learning, so they can process and analyse large data sets and iterate quickly.”
A panel of experts consisting of leading scientists, global health policy experts, and leaders in infectious disease diagnostics will help set the initiative’s priorities and collaborations.
Steve Davis, of the World Health Organisation's Digital Health Technical Advisory Group and a member of the AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative’s technical advisory group said:
“The world needs more and more private sector innovation to combat this pandemic. Amazon’s commitments and participation are very welcome, particularly since the lack of significant next-generation diagnostic tools remains a large gap in most health systems. A platform to link research, digital capabilities, and new products to customers globally is an exciting venture.”
AWS is launching the initiative with participation from 35 global research institutions, startups, and businesses focused on tackling the Covid-19 challenge.