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How often should a population be tested during a pandemic? When is it necessary to close schools? How do we best track the development of virus variants? And why do some people experience such prolonged disease course?

These were among the many questions raised after the COVID-19 pandemic — and in Denmark, researchers were in the fortunate position of having access to vast data thanks to the country’s extensive testing strategy. One of the researchers analysing these data is Mark Khurana, who is receiving the Lundbeck Foundation Talent Prize 2025 for his work on COVID-19 and pandemic preparedness.

“We’re looking back at the pandemic to understand how we can improve our preparedness for the next one — because unfortunately, we know it will happen again,” says Mark Khurana.

Immunocompromised patients drive virus mutations

His research is part of the Danish Pandemic Preparedness Project, a collaboration between the University of Copenhagen, the Technical University of Denmark, Statens Serum Institut, and Statistics Denmark. As part of his PhD, Mark has analysed genetic data from people with long-term SARS-CoV-2 infections — those who tested positive for more than a month.

“We found that older people, men, and individuals with weakened immune systems had an increased risk of prolonged infection. This is important because it has long been suspected that immunosuppressed patients have unique mutation patterns that may give rise to new virus variants,” he explains.

“It highlights the need to monitor immunocompromised individuals to detect new variants early, but also to ensure they receive the right treatment to keep their immune systems as strong as possible, since they are already a vulnerable group.”

Containment strategies must be reconsidered

Mark Khurana has also helped map where in Denmark people were infected, by combining test data with demographic data to identify which regions were hardest hit.

“The goal is to assess what the most effective response would be the next time a pandemic strikes — for example, whether we need to close schools nationwide or if we can target our strategies more precisely,” he says.

The results on regional infection patterns have not yet been published, but since the study was carried out with Statens Serum Institut, Mark already knows the findings will influence Denmark’s future testing strategy.

“During COVID-19, we spent huge sums on testing. So, it will be economically significant if we can streamline that process next time — maintaining the same quality of information while saving resources.”

Artificial intelligence will be a major help

Mark Khurana is also exploring whether it is possible to share virus data across national borders.

“We can’t share individual patient data between countries, but perhaps we can develop a system to exchange data at a more general level — for example on mutations, virus variants or incubation periods of a new pathogen. We’re working on concrete solutions now, and I believe we’ll see major progress in this area,” he says.

He believes that artificial intelligence will play an important role in managing future pandemics.

“AI will allow us to analyse data much faster, so we can more accurately predict how viruses or bacteria will spread,” says Khurana, adding:
“Today, individual researchers analyse data within their own field, but it’s extremely difficult to study complex connections across disciplines because of the sheer data volume. I believe machine learning and AI can help uncover relationships we wouldn’t otherwise detect. The big question will then be whether we can use AI to explain those relationships.”

More than a pandemic on his CV

In February, Mark Khurana will begin the first in specializing.

“I’m returning to the clinic to meet patients and see if I enjoy it. But research will always be part of my career — the challenge is to find the right balance between clinical work and time for research,” he says.