Heart Early detection and characterization of infectious disease outbreaks are critical for early detection and response to potential pandemic threats. The rapid global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in 2020 highlighted the importance of early diagnosis in understanding the virus's epidemiology. The Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition (APDC) was established in early 2021 as a natural continuation of Abbott's work in diagnostics, viral research, and virus surveillance. The APDC is a global, multi-sector scientific and public health collaboration whose primary goal is to detect and mitigate infectious disease threats with pandemic potential as early as possible. The APDC network, which includes academic institutions, governmental and non-governmental organizations, has partners on five continents as of January 2022. A unique feature of The APDC has the capability to develop and deploy scalable, high-quality diagnostics for newly found viruses with pandemic potential as early as possible.
