Pandemic prevention system wins MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change award
Sentinel, a collaboration between ӳý and the Institute of Genomics and Global Health in Nigeria, will use award to detect and stop outbreaks in low-resource settings.
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that it has awarded a $100 million, five-year grant to the — a system for detecting outbreaks in real time and preventing them from growing into potential pandemics.
Every year, infectious diseases cause millions of deaths and disrupt economies throughout the world. Recent outbreaks of Ebola, SARS-CoV-2, and mpox exposed the fragility of health systems, particularly the lack of low-cost diagnostics, disease surveillance tools, and digital infrastructures for making fast and informed public-health decisions.
The Sentinel program — a collaboration between the ӳý and the Institute of Genomics and Global Health in Nigeria — tackles these problems. The pandemic-preparedness system officially launched in 2020 with support from Flu Lab and a cohort of generous donors through TED’s Audacious Project including the ELMA Foundation, MacKenzie Scott, the Skoll Foundation, and Open Philanthropy. The project now operates in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, bringing high-tech diagnostic and informatic capabilities to low-resource areas. The Sentinel team has trained more than 3,000 public health workers from 53 of 54 countries in Africa in genomics, diagnostics, sequencing, and bioinformatics, and has also supported outbreak response for Marburg virus, mpox, Lassa fever, dengue, and COVID-19.
Over the next five years, the program aims to strengthen its systems and expand them to a national level in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, and extend its reach to Senegal, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This will enhance regional resilience, preparedness, and response, leading to a stronger network for early detection and prevention of pandemics.
“We are deeply grateful to the MacArthur Foundation for this transformative investment,” said Pardis Sabeti, co-director of Sentinel and core institute member at the ӳý. “With this support, we can build a future where every community has the tools, knowledge, and power to detect and stop outbreaks before they spread. It’s an opportunity to show what’s possible when science, innovation, and a sense of solidarity come together to protect humanity.” Sabeti is also a professor at the Center for Systems Biology and the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, a professor in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
“This investment affirms that solutions to global health challenges can be led from Africa,” said , co-director of Sentinel and Director of the Institute of Genomics and Global Health at Redeemer’s University in Nigeria. “Sentinel is about trust, collaboration, and building the systems that allow every country to respond swiftly and confidently to disease threats. With the MacArthur Foundation's support, we can create lasting resilience together.”
“In a moment where investments in global public health are at risk, the Sentinel project will transform infectious disease surveillance and response through cutting-edge technology, global collaboration, and local empowerment,” said MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey in the announcement. “Infectious diseases kill millions of people every year, disrupt regional security and economic stability, and can escalate into global crises. Sentinel detects, prevents, and preempts outbreaks to save lives and strengthen global health security.”
“We are incredibly proud to celebrate Sentinel, the winner of the MacArthur 100&Change award. It’s a powerful recognition of their bold vision and groundbreaking work but also of the tireless commitment of Drs. Pardis Sabeti, Christian Happi and their teams," said Anna Verghese, Executive Director, The Audacious Project. "Sentinel was first launched through Audacious in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Pardis and Christian have become two of my personal heroes. As they continue their life’s purpose to preempt outbreaks and to save lives, their work is proof of what’s possible when audacious ideas and a deep unbreakable will to see better all come together to build a safe and healthier future for all.”
Sentinel’s partners include Fathom Information Design, Kenema Government Hospital, Sierra Leone, Central Public Health Lab, Sierra Leone (CPHRL), Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Nigeria, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (AEFUTHA), Nigeria, Federal Medical Centre Owo, Nigeria, Redeemers University, Nigeria, Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), Nigeria, Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Centre International de Recherche et de Formation en Génomique Appliquée et de, Surveillance Sanitaire (CIGASS) at Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD), Senegal, National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Nigeria, Institut National de la Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), DRC.
To learn more about 100&Change and explore transformative ideas, visit .
