In the early days of the pandemic, researchers were scrambling to collect samples from people who had mysteriously developed fevers, coughs, and breathing problems. Pretty soon, they realized that the disease-causing culprit was a new virus humans hadn’t seen before: SARS-CoV-2. And the world, lacking a coordinated global response, was unprepared, writes Alice Park. Some countries acted quickly to develop tests for the novel coronavirus, while others with fewer resources were left behind. It soon became clear that the world would only weather this pandemic by working together, and that governments alone couldn’t necessarily save us. Some in the private sector saw an opportunity. In 2021, Abbott—the global health care company known for its diagnostic tests—decided to start the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition (APDC), the first convergence of public health and academic experts led by a private company. Its mission: to detect new pathogens that threaten to wreak havoc on the world, share their discoveries by making their findings available publicly, and contain them before it’s too late. The experiment is just beginning, but it’s already paying off. APDC partners were among the first in the world to spot several dangerous mutations of the COVID-19 virus—including Omicron—just as they were emerging, which put countries on high alert and allowed them to prepare in advance by increasing testing, doubling down on vaccine programs, and advising infected people to isolate. It was a big change from being blindsided by the original version of the virus. Now, the virus hunters are watching out not only for new versions of SARS-CoV-2, but they’re also continuing their search for other dangerous disease-causing bugs. Read more about the virus hunters trying to prevent the next pandemic at the link in our bio. Photographs by @guichrist for TIME