GLOBAL VIRAL FORECASTING INTIATIVE (GVFI) and
GVF Inc. ANNOUNCE NEW INITIATIVES AND STRUCTURE
GVFI NOW KNOWN AS GLOBAL VIRAL;
GVF Inc. NOW KNOWN AS METABIOTA

San Francisco, CA –Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, a non-profit organization
and Global Viral Forecasting Inc., a for-profit company, have worked in tandem
since 2009 to conduct in-depth field research and services to better understand
and control the spread of microbial threats.

Founded by Dr. Nathan Wolfe, both organizations have sought to improve public
health surveillance in partnership with governments, universities and private
organizations. “As the needs of the global public health community have evolved,
our organizations have adapted to better serve,” notes Dr. Wolfe. "Our new
names reflect this evolution. We are committed to innovation and to being on the
leading edge of scientific work."

lobal Viral Forecasting Initiative (GVFI), now known as Global Viral, has
evolved its mission concurrent to the needs of the global public health
community. Going forward, Global Viral will focus on scientific leadership,
community health development & education and exploratory research.
Global Viral Board member Sally O’Brien says of the changes, “I’m excited about
the broadening of Global Viral’s mission. We’re proud of the critical health
infrastructure we’ve built in our sites in Africa and Asia. Expanding our reach to
leadership development and further exploration of the microbial world is a
natural progression for the organization.”

Global Viral will soon announce details of a newly established competitive
fellowship program. The Global Viral Fellows program will develop future leaders
of global health by embedding emerging scientists into an international network
of governments, academics and NGO partners.

On the for-profit side, going forward GVF Inc. will be known as Metabiota.
Taking inspiration from the scientific term, which describes the stable
relationship between a group of hosts and their microbial inhabitants, Metabiota
will continue to provide services to governments and the private sector as GVF
Inc. has for years.

The company specializes in microbial threat detection, evaluation and response
through the integration of field and lab research. Metabiota products and services
include: global field-based biological threat research, pathogen discovery,
outbreak response and clinical trials.
Learn more about Global Viral at globalviral.org and Metabiota at
metabiota.com.

About Global Viral
Global Viral’s mission is to promote understanding, exploration and
stewardship of the microbial world. Originally founded as the Global Viral
Forecasting Initiative (GVFI), Global Viral is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit that
received seed funding from google.org and the Skoll Foundation in 2008. Among
its current activities, the Global Viral Fellows program supports research, data
and policy leaders and links them together in a network aimed at addressing the
most important global infectious disease threats. Global Viral maintains its
headquarters in San Francisco, CA and has ongoing activities in sub-Saharan
Africa and Southeast Asia.

About Metabiota
Metabiota's mission is to mitigate threats from, and create harmony
with, the microbial world. Metabiota develops and implements products,
services & technologies for governments and the private sector. The company
specializes in disease and pathogen detection, evaluation and response through
the integration of field & lab research with health data analytics. Metabiota has a
demonstrated track record in international collaboration, scientific and public
health surveillance capacity building, and research with high public health
impact. Metabiota maintains offices in San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and
Guangzhou, China.