7 Apr 2021 An international team of researchers led by Wladek Minor, a University of Virginia School of Medicine professor, is warning that scientists must better prepare for the next pandemic - and has developed a plan to do just that. The proposed advanced information system (AIS) would aim to ensure conformity of data across disciplines. Image: An international team of researchers led by Wladek Minor, PhD, is warning that scientists must prepare now for the next pandemic - and has developed a plan to do so. Credit: Dan Addison | UVA Communications Noting the "avalanche" of scientific data generated in response to COVID-19, UVA's Wladek Minor, PhD, and colleagues are calling for the creation of an "advanced information system" (AIS) to help scientists integrate, monitor and evaluate the vast amounts of data that will be produced as researchers reveal the molecular architecture of the next pathogen posing a big biological threat. This information on the shape, structure, and function of a pathogen is essential to the development of medications, vaccines and treatments. For example, the COVID-19 vaccines now available target the "spike" protein on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.