RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC—AN OVERVIEW

Abstract

AT THE BEGINNING OF 2020, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) STARTED A COORDINATED GLOBAL EFFORT TO COUNTERATTACK THE POTENTIAL EXPONENTIAL SPREAD OF THE SARS-COV2 VIRUS, RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE, OFFICIALLY NAMED COVID-19. THIS COMPREHENSIVE INITIATIVE INCLUDED A RESEARCH ROADMAP PUBLISHED IN MARCH 2020, INCLUDING NINE DIMENSIONS, FROM EPIDEMIOLOGICAL RESEARCH TO DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS AND VACCINE DEVELOPMENT. WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED CASE, THE AREAS OF STUDY RELATED TO THE PANDEMIC RECEIVED FUNDS AND STRONG ATTENTION FROM DIFFERENT RESEARCH COMMUNITIES (UNIVERSITIES, GOVERNMENT, INDUSTRY, ETC.), RESULTING IN AN EXPONENTIAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS AND RESULTS ACHIEVED IN SUCH A SMALL WINDOW OF TIME. OUTSTANDING RESEARCH COOPERATION PROJECTS WERE IMPLEMENTED DURING THE OUTBREAK, AND INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES WERE DEVELOPED AND IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY. CLINICAL AND LABORATORY PROCESSES WERE IMPROVED, WHILE MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL WERE SUPPORTED BY A COUNTLESS NUMBER OF MODELS AND COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS FOR THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. THIS CHAPTER AIMS TO INTRODUCE AN OVERVIEW OF THIS FAVORABLE SCENARIO AND HIGHLIGHT A NECESSARY DISCUSSION ABOUT ETHICAL ISSUES IN RESEARCH RELATED TO THE COVID-19 AND THE CHALLENGE OF LOW-QUALITY RESEARCH, FOCUSING ONLY ON THE PUBLICATION OF TECHNIQUES AND APPROACHES WITH LIMITED SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE OR EVEN PRACTICAL APPLICATION. A LEGACY OF LESSONS LEARNED FROM THIS UNIQUE PERIOD OF HUMAN HISTORY SHOULD INFLUENCE AND GUIDE THE SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL COMMUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE.