Dr. Jesse McCool shows Christian Kanady a bioreactor at a Wheeler Bio laboratory in Oklahoma City on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022.
San Diego, California – A groundbreaking wastewater surveillance project that helped detect COVID-19 variants and other pathogens in San Diego County has come to an abrupt halt after federal funding was withdrawn. The sudden end of the San Diego Epidemiology and Research for COVID Health (SEARCH) program leaves a gap in the region’s ability to closely monitor the spread of infectious diseases.
Since 2021, the SEARCH team — a coalition of scientists from UC San Diego, Scripps Research, and Rady Children’s Hospital — has used advanced genetic analysis to track viruses shed into wastewater by the region’s 3.3 million residents. The effort started during the COVID-19 pandemic and later expanded to include viruses like MPOX, hepatitis, and influenza. But with the end of a $400,000 annual contract from the county, prompted by nationwide cuts to the CDC’s “Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity” program, the final batch of samples was processed Sunday.
Researchers say they had anticipated a gradual transition as the county prepares to open a $93 million public health lab in Kearny Mesa this May. Instead, the program was abruptly paused, cutting off UCSD’s contributions and jeopardizing continuity in the data.
“This is disorderly,” said Dr. Louise Laurent of UC San Diego. “We were expecting to finish out our contract through August with an orderly transition. Now, we’re just stopping — and that’s not the most efficient way to do this.”
Kristian Andersen, director of infectious disease genomics at Scripps, added that although their contract has ended, his team will still assist the county informally. “We’re not angry with the county… This is coming from federal cuts,” he said.
The county acknowledged the disruption, agreeing that ideally, both labs would have operated in parallel to ensure consistent results. A transition plan is underway, including transferring historical samples from UCSD to the county’s new lab.
San Diego’s SEARCH project stood out from other surveillance efforts like WastewaterSCAN and CDPH reports by not only identifying rising virus levels but also pinpointing specific variants. This sequencing capability plays a critical role in shaping future vaccine strategies and treatment plans, Andersen explained.
“This kind of work helps us stay ahead of outbreaks. Without it, we’re flying blind,” he said.
