PulseNet Asia Pacific
Strengthening Surveillance, Building Capacity, Sharing Data - Ensuring Equitable Genomic Access in the Asia-Pacific.
About
PulseNet Asia Pacific (PNAP) was established in 2002, is a regional arm of PulseNet International (PNI), a regional network of laboratories involved in the surveillance and outbreak detection of enteric bacterial pathogens. In 2019, PulseNet began transitioning its subtyping method from pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to whole-genome sequencing (WGS).
In 2022, Professor Ben Howden and Tuyet Hoang, from the Centre for Pathogen Genomics (CPG) and the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory (MDU PHL), were appointed as PNAP coordinators. This appointment coincided with PulseNet International’s initiative to implement whole genome sequencing (WGS) for outbreak investigation and surveillance in the Asia-Pacific region.
Leadership
Ms Tuyet Hoang
PulseNet Asia-Pacific Co-coordinator
Ms Kristy Kubota
Steering Committee Member
Technical Leads
A/Prof Torsten Seemann
PNI Technical Working Group Representative
What We Do
All Partners Meetings
Biennial meetings to review progress, gather feedback, and strengthen network collaboration
Feasibility Study & Capacity Building
Assessing and promoting genomics capacity for enteric bacterial and AMR surveillance in Asia-Pacific
Workforce Development
Collaborating with member labs to provide pathogen genomics guidance for public health
Quality Assurance
Participation in PNIs quality assurance program for standardised lab practices
Our Past Activites
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PulseNet Asia Pacific: Broadening Regional WGS Capacity for Foodborne Pathogen Surveillance with ONT Sequencing
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PulseNet Asia Pacific: Expanding WGS Implementation & Data Sharing in the Region for Foodborne Pathogen Surveillance
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PulseNet Asia Pacific All Partners Meeting and Training
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Strengthening Bacterial WGS Capacity in Malaysian Public Health Laboratories
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PulseNet Asia Pacific: Encouraging WGS Implementation & Data Sharing in the Region for Foodborne Pathogen Surveillance
Members
PulseNet Asia Pacific All Partners Meeting in Bangkok, October 31st - November 3rd 2023
| Country | Representatives | Representation (Member, Steering Committee, Coordinator) |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Center for Pathogen Genomics (CPG) Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory | Coordinator; Steering Committee Member, Member |
Bangladesh | International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) | Steering Committee Member; Member |
Bhutan | Royal Centre for Disease Control | Member |
Cambodia | Laboratory of Environment & Food Safety (LEFS) | Member |
China | Member (Legacy) | |
Fiji | Fiji Centre for Communicable Disease Control, Mataika House (FCDC) | Member |
Hong Kong | Previous Coordinator | |
India | Member (Legacy) | |
Japan | National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) | Steering Committee Member; Member |
Malaysia | Institute for Medical Research (IMR) | Steering Committee Member; Member |
New Zealand | The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) | Member |
Pakistan | Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences | Member |
Philippines | Research Institute for Tropical Medicine | Member |
Singapore | National Public Health Laboratory | Member |
South Korea | Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency | Member |
Sri Lanka | Medical Research Institute | Steering Committee Member; Member |
Taiwan | Centers for Disease Control | Steering Committee Member; Member |
Thailand | Training Centre for Excellence in Medical Sciences (TEMs DMSc) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Institute of Health Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences | Steering Committee Member; Member |
Timor Leste | Laboratorio Nacional de Saude | Member |
Vietnam | National Institute of Hygiene & Epidemiology Pasteur Institute | Member |
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada currently co-chair PulseNet International activities.
More information on the activities of PulseNet Asia Pacific available here