Design of modular and mobile laboratories for disease outbreak response: A systematic review

The rapid emergence of infectious diseases like Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19 has highlighted the limitations of traditional, centralized laboratory infrastructure, particularly in remote or resourcelimited settings. Modular and mobile laboratories (MMLs) have emerged as flexible, scalable solutions to enhance outbreak response by providing rapid diagnostics and containment capabilities.This systematic review aims to synthesize current knowledge on the design of MMLs for disease outbreak response, identifying universal design principles, technological innovations, and operational challenges to inform their optimization and standardization.A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar was conducted, using keywords such as “modular and mobile laboratories,” “disease outbreak,” and “low-resource settings,” covering studies from 2014 to 2024. Of 2,345 identified studies, 21 met inclusion criteria after screening. MMLs demonstrated high feasibility through rapid deployment (e.g., reducing diagnostic turnaroundtimes to 4–8 hours) and adaptability to remote settings, supported by modular designs and portable diagnostics. However, challenges include high costs, maintenance needs, and inadequate biosafety standardization. Acceptability is strong among stakeholders when MMLs integrate with local systems and ensure biosafety, though concerns persist about risks in constrained environments. MMLs arefeasible and acceptable for outbreak response, effectively bridging diagnostic gaps in resourcelimited contexts. Their long-term success depends on addressing cost, biosafety standardization, and local capacity building, offering a promising tool for enhancing global health security when supported by coordinated efforts and innovation.