By TOI Tech Desk
Publication Date: 2026-10-01 10:05:00
A medical evacuation technology backed by late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen after the 2014 Ebola outbreak went on to play a crucial role during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, helping safely transport infected Americans from a quarantined cruise ship in Japan. Following the Ebola crisis in West Africa, Allen provided $5 million in funding to support the development of advanced biocontainment capabilities that could safely move patients infected with highly contagious diseases. The project led to the creation of specialised isolation systems designed to protect both patients and medical personnel during transport.
From Ebola to coronavirus
The technology called Containerized Biocontainment System (CBCS) was developed by Kansas City-based biocontainment and global health engineering firm MRIGlobal with the help of a public-private partnership with the US Department of State and the Paul G. Allen Foundation, created in direct response to the 2014 West African Ebola…
