As part of its growth, the department has strengthened its technological infrastructure through the acquisition of next-generation sequencers and the installation of servers for bioinformatics analysis, consolidating a comprehensive platform for the generation, processing and interpretation of genomic data.

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, these capacities allow a timely response through the implementation of genomic surveillance in the country, as well as participation in external performance evaluation exercises and the strengthening of bioinformatics analysis applied to microbiology.

In 2021, this development was projected at the regional level with the inclusion of the Gorgas Institute as a reference laboratory in sequencing within the COVIGEN network of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Likewise, international technical cooperation contributed to the strengthening of the technological platform through the incorporation of new sequencers and the expansion of the laboratory is operational capacity.

Subsequently, in 2022, the remodeling of the sequencing laboratory and the promotion of the decentralization of genomic surveillance in different regions of the country reaffirmed the institutional commitment to timely access to highly complex tools and to the strengthening of national capacity in public health.

Throughout this trajectory, the Department of Genomics and Proteomics has maintained its commitment to innovation, quality and scientific development, contributing to the strengthening of surveillance of diseases of health importance and the generation of evidence for decision-making in the country.