Asia PGI and partners unveil preview of PathGen: new AI-powered outbreak intelligence tool

Asia-led, "sovereign-by-design" platform built for secure, decentralised pathogen intelligence-sharing across borders aims to break data silos and provide faster "time to actionable insight" of outbreaks, from detection to control measures being in place.

SINGAPORE, Dec. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Asia Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Asia PGI) today offered the first public preview of PathGen, an AI-powered sense-making and decision-making support platform of pathogen genomics and contextual data. Designed for public health practitioners, clinicians and industry, it can help detect emerging disease threats earlier, assess risks faster, and coordinate responses within and across borders, all without compromising countries' ownership of their respective sovereign data. The objective is to strengthen health security across Asia and beyond, reducing lives lost and livelihoods disrupted, and the economic impacts of communicable diseases.

The preview demonstration, hosted by the Duke-NUS Centre for Outbreak Preparedness (COP) and Temasek Foundation, showcased how PathGen could integrate diverse data sources—pathogen genomics, clinical information, population data, climate, and mosquito habitat patterns—powered by the latest AI technology and foundation models to provide enhanced situational awareness and decision-making support through timely, high-quality, actionable insights. The result: Faster decisions taken with higher resolution and greater confidence—for example, guiding decisions on when to adjust treatment protocols, where to deploy vaccines and how to allocate resources, before outbreaks spiral out of control.

More than 100 attendees, comprising senior health officials from the region, as well as philanthropic, scientific and technology partners, were at the preview and discussed governance, strategy and next steps for regional deployment. In a symbolic show of regional commitment, partners from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam placed their hands on the PathGen logo to affirm their pledge to co-create PathGen as a shared public good for regional health security, while partners from the Philippines joined virtually. Mr Ong Ye Kung, Singapore's Minister for Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies was the guest-of-honour at the PathGen preview.

PathGen is housed by Asia PGI which is led by the Duke-NUS Centre for Outbreak Preparedness. A coordination and capacity development hub advancing pathogen genomics sequencing for early detection, control and elimination of infectious diseases in the region, Asia PGI convenes more than 50 government and academic partners across 15 countries, with Singapore as its nerve centre. Asia PGI and PathGen are propelled by three key catalytic funders—the Gates Foundation, Temasek Foundation, and Philanthropy Asia Alliance. Four development partners—Amazon Web Services (AWS), IXO, Sequentia Biotech and Sydney ID at the University of Sydney—are contributing core technologies and expertise to bring PathGen from concept to practice.

Why now?

Traditional epidemiological surveillance reports what is happening (e.g., counts of disease cases, hospitalisations, etc), while genomic surveillance has the potential to reveal the "who, where, and how" infections emerge in populations. But today's systems are often hindered by silo-ed, non-interoperable databases that do not share information with one another, limited contextual data, data sovereignty barriers and policy constraints that slow responses and limit preparedness. Urgent action is needed to overcome these barriers as rapid population growth, unprecedented mobility, climate disruptions and antimicrobial resistance are driving more frequent and complex disease outbreaks across human and animal populations.

Recent AI breakthroughs which underpin PathGen allow better synthesis of genomic, clinical, population, environmental and mobility data to help timely clinical and public health decisions. A "federated", "sovereign-by-design" platform such as PathGen shares only the analytics; the underlying raw data is not moved or centralised to one location and remains under the control of the respective country/owner, enabling cooperation without compromising data integrity or eroding trust.

Professor Paul Pronyk, Director of Duke-NUS' Centre for Outbreak Preparedness said: "This proof of concept shows how AI and pathogen genomics can work together to provide actionable intelligence for clinicians and public health authorities. By sharing only essential insights, countries can respond faster to outbreaks while strengthening trust and sovereignty."

Dr Lee Fook Kay, Head of Pandemic Preparedness, Temasek Foundation said, "Every delay between detecting a pathogen and making the right public health decision costs lives. Temasek Foundation is catalysing PathGen, as it can integrate genomic information with other relevant surveillance, population and environmental data sources into timely insights that health authorities can act upon. A shared intelligence system that protects sovereignty, cuts response time, and stops outbreaks before they become crises – that's the future of health security and preparedness!"

Shaun Seow, CEO of Philanthropy Asia Alliance, added: "PathGen fills a critical gap with a decision-support platform built for Asia's needs and complexities. It enables shared intelligence without compromising data sovereignty, helping us better prepare for the next pandemic. Through our Health for Human Potential Community, we're proud to support this effort to strengthen public health resilience across the region."

What's next?

PathGen will advance from proof-of-concept towards a launch-ready platform over the next 18 months, with pilots from early 2026 and a staged roll-out through 2027.

These efforts will be supported through the Asia PGI network of country partners. Country-level engagement aims to help define priorities and technical needs; establish plans for secure in-country deployment; set governance and benefit-sharing arrangements; deliver core analytics and decision support tools with integration to national systems; build capacity for public health laboratories and implementation teams; and provide regular briefings and demonstrations to align partners on strategy, governance, and next steps.

Information on PathGen's development will be updated on the PathGen website. 

About Duke-NUS Medical School

Duke-NUS is Singapore's flagship graduate entry medical school, established in 2005 with a strategic, government-led partnership between two world-class institutions: Duke University School of Medicine and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Through an innovative curriculum, students at Duke-NUS are nurtured to become multi-faceted 'Clinicians Plus' poised to steer the healthcare and biomedical ecosystem in Singapore and beyond. A leader in ground-breaking research and translational innovation, Duke-NUS has gained international renown through its five signature research programmes and 10 centres. The enduring impact of its discoveries is amplified by its successful Academic Medicine partnership with Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), Singapore's largest healthcare group. This strategic alliance has spawned 15 Academic Clinical Programmes, which harness multi-disciplinary research and education to transform medicine and improve lives. 

For more information, please visit www.duke-nus.edu.sg

About Temasek Foundation

Temasek Foundation supports a diverse range of programmes that uplift lives and communities in Singapore and Asia. Temasek Foundation's programmes are made possible through philanthropic endowments gifted by Temasek, as well as gifts and other contributions from other donors. These programmes strive to deliver positive outcomes for individuals and communities now, and for generations to come. Collectively, Temasek Foundation's programmes strengthen social resilience; foster international exchange and catalyse regional capabilities; advance science; and protect the planet.

For more information, please visit www.temasekfoundation.org.sg

SOURCE Duke-NUS Medical School