VIROLOGY
NCPV’s remit is to preserve, authenticate and supply high-quality, well-characterised pathogenic viruses and associated materials to the scientific and research community
health crises including in outbreaks of SARS (2003), influenza (2009) and MERS (2012). A notable example is the Zika virus outbreak of 2015–2016, during which NCPV provided crucial resources to laboratories across the globe. The collection already included a 1962 Zika isolate from Uganda and NCPV was able to rapidly add a more recent clinical strain complete with full genomic data. During the outbreak, NCPV distributed Zika virus materials, live virus, and RNA, to over fifty laboratories in sixteen countries, enabling rapid advancements in pathogenesis research, diagnostics, and model development.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, NCPV supported the UK’s response by supplying authenticated SARS-CoV-2 isolates and expanding its coronavirus catalogue to support the development both of vaccines and diagnostics. NCPV
was also able to provide closely related MERS coronavirus from its collection as well as less pathogenic seasonal human coronaviruses, critical for understanding cross-reactivity and testing the specificity of diagnostic assays. The collection currently holds 16 strains of coronavirus, four of which have been inactivated by X-ray irradiation for use at lower containment.
NCPV is committed to aiding the
response to ongoing public health threats, highlighted by its role in chikungunya virus (CHIKV) outbreak prevention. CHIKV was first identified in the 1950s and has since been found in more than 60 countries. In 2007, Edwards CJ, et al. used NCPV’s CHIKV strains to develop a real time RT-PCR to detect circulating strains of virus along with other genotypes.3
In 2018, Tuekprakhon et al. acknowledged the need for a definitive
and accurate diagnostic tool for CHIKV and used strains obtained from NCPV (as well as several other viruses acquired from NCPV) to produce and authenticate panels of antibodies against CHIKV structural proteins.4
Chikungunya virus is
listed on the UKHSA priority pathogens list and in April 2025 the World Health Organization announced the urgent need for preventative actions against a potential CHIKV epidemic; hence CHIKV strains continue to be acquired from NCPV by researchers globally. The use of authenticated CHIKV strains obtained from NCPV has enabled improvements in both CHIKV clinical diagnosis and surveillance.
CHIKV is just one example of the continual support NCPV provides to the scientific community; the preservation both of current and historic strains ensures that researchers constantly have access to the biological tools needed to study the evolution, diversity and pathogenicity of viruses over time. In addition to the viruses available via the online catalogue, NCPV securely stores a range of virus deposits which could be made available to researchers in the event of an outbreak.
Supporting research, policy, and innovation
The value of NCPV lies in the breadth and
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