February 2010

>> BNP Paribas Corporate & Investment Banking joins forces with the Pasteur Institute in the global fight against infectious diseases
- BNP Paribas Corporate & Investment Banking, February 4, 2009, Hong Kong -
BNP Paribas Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) has decided to renew its partnership with the Institut Pasteur and the International Network and to help again this year in the global fight against infectious diseases.

At HKU-PRC, the donation will be used to fund the study on the fight against dengue virus, with a focus on achieving a complete understanding of the molecular mechanisms of regulating assembly, budding, trafficking and egress of the virus.

Read the English or Chinese press release.

Watch the movie illustrating BNP Paribas CIB’s partnership with the Institut Pasteur.

July 2009

>> Bronze portrait statue of Alexandre Yersin unveiled
- Unveiling Ceremony of a Tribute to Alexandre Yersin, July 15, 2009, Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences, Hong Kong -
A bronze portrait statue of Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943), physician trained at Institut Pasteur, was unveiled as a tribute to his role in identification and isolation of the bacillus Yersinia pestis that caused the bubonic plague in Hong Kong in 1894. His work paved the way for the development of a vaccine in 1896 which prevented the death of millions.

The statue sitting in the garden of the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences (HKMMS) was unveiled on the occasion of the 160th anniversary of the establishment of France–Hong Kong consular relations, and in the presence of the Honourable Dr York YN Chow, GSBS, JP, Secretary for Food and Health, Mr. Jean-Pierre Thébault, Consul general of France in Hong-Kong and Macau, Dr. Laurence LT Hou, Director, Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences Society, Dr. Roberto Bruzzone, Chief Executive Officer of HKU- Pasteur Research Centre, and Dr Faith CS Ho, Chairman, Education and Research Committee, Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences Society.

Last year, HKU-Pasteur Research Centre co-organized an exhibition entitled "From the Plague to New Emerging Diseases: A Chronicle of Pasteurian Research in Hong Kong" hosted first by the University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) then by the HKMMS to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Institut Pasteur through the life and work of Alexandre Yersin.

November 2008

>> HKU-Pasteur Research Centre Ltd
- 38th InterCham Young Professional Cocktail, November 12, 2008, FINDS, LKF Tower, Central, Hong Kong -
Co-organised by the French, Italian and Swedish Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong, the 38th InterCham Young Professional Cocktail will be held on November 12, 2008 at FINDS, LKF Tower, Central, Hong Kong. This event will provide an excellent opportunity to meet with hundreds of members from 27 international business organizations in Hong Kong. All proceeds from this event will go to the HKU-Pasteur Research Centre represented by Dr Béatrice Nal-Rogier.

Mrs Marie-Hélène Marchand, Honorary Secretary General of Institut Pasteur and and Administrator of the Association of Friends of Institut Pasteur Hong Kong will also introduce the "Château de Ravatys" Domain. Its 30 hectares vineyard produces 2 of the best Beaujolais wines: " Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly ". Profits generated from the estate are directly given back to Institut Pasteur to support Public Health Research.

October 2008

>> Grant & Award
- Professor Malik Peiris awarded Tam Wah-Ching Professorship in Medical Science, The University of Hong Kong, October 31, 2008 -
Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong has awared Professor Malik Peiris Tam Wah-Ching Professorship in Medical Science.
An "Endowed Professorship" is one of the most significant awards bestowed upon eminent academics within the University. A total of 33 Endowed Professorships have been established at HKU since 2005.
The generous donation will become a perpetual endowment in a designated discipline, as the Endowed Professor upholds a proud tradition of excellence.
An Advisory Committee ensures the appointments to the Endowed Professorships are made in accordance with established University procedures. All professors in HKU are eligible for the scheme.

Advisory Committee to the Vice-Chancellor on Endowed Professorships:

• Dr Raymond K F Ch'ien (Chairman)
• Dr York Liao
• Professor Felice Lieh-Mak
• Dr Eden Woon

- Professor Malik Peiris decorated with the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS), October 25, 2008 -
The Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, presented honours and awards to 253 recipients at the annual ceremony at Government House. Professor Peiris was awarded the SBS for his outstanding achievements in the field of virology and pathology, in particular his contribution to the prevention and control of infectious diseases.
The SBS is the second rank in Order of the Bauhinia Star in Hong Kong, created in 1997. It is awarded to persons who have taken a leading part in public affairs and/or voluntary work over a long period of time.

Read HKSAR Government's press release.

HKU-PRC welcomes James.  The second baby of Audrey Duval and Alexandre Derveloy, was born on October 25, 2008 at 07:34 a.m. in Mathilda Hospital. The mother and the baby are fine. His father, and Marie, his sister are very proud.

>> They Join Us
- Visiting Research Associate, HKU-Pasteur Research Centre Ltd -
Mr Frédéric Keck, social anthropologist at the CNRS in Paris, joins us for the year 2008-2009. He works on a project entitled "When animals make humans sick. A comparative anthropology ov Avian Flu", supported by a grant from the Fyssen Foundation. He also belongs to the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China, a cultural centre of the French Consulate in Hong Kong.

HKU-PRC welcomes Lucas.  The second baby of Nadege Lagarde and Francois Kien, both working at the Centre, was born on August 22, 2008 at 03:48 a.m. in Queen Mary Hospital. The mother and the baby are fine. His father, and Corentin, his brother are very proud.

>> Official Visit
- Mrs Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, French Minister of Health, Youth, Sport and the Voluntary Organizations, August 10, 2008, HKU-Pasteur Research Centre Ltd -
Mrs Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, French Minister of Health, Youth, Sport and the Voluntary Organizations visited HKU-PRC on August 9, 2008. Dr Roberto Bruzzone, CEO, and Pr Malik Peiris, Scientific Director, presented our mission, our research and teaching activities and emphasized the role of Hong Kong as an influenza sentinel post. The management of large-scale safety risks such as influenza pandemic within the European Union will be a major theme emphasized during the French presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU Health Ministers meeting, September 8-9, 2008, Angers, 2008). Dr Jean-Michel Garcia gave a short overview of ongoing work aimed at understanding the interaction between avian influenza virus and cellular receptors at the atomic level. During her tour of the laboratories she discussed with staff scientists and students working on viral respiratory infections such as SARS and avian influenza. Madame Bachelot-Narquin praised the achievements of the Centre with the RESPARI program (partially financed by the French Ministry of Health) and reaffirmed the support of her Ministry.

November 2007

>> Official Visit
- Dr Y. Charpak, Director of the International Affairs of Institut Pasteur, November 8-9, 2007, HKU-Pasteur Research Centre Ltd -
Dr Yves Charpak, new Director of the International Affairs of Institut Pasteur, visited HKU-PRC on November 8-9, 2007. He met team leaders, researchers, staff and student and tasted chinese delicacies at Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant (vist ou photo albums' page). During his stay in Hong Kong, he also met members of HKU-PRC Board of Directors. Dr Charpak was nominated by the Board of Directors in August 27, 2007 and was the Senior Policy Adviser at WHO's European regional office in Copenhagen since 2004.

>> They Join Us
- New MPhil student, HKU-Pasteur Research Centre Ltd -
Ms Cherry Xia (BSc (Hons) in Applied Biology from the City University of Hong Kong in 2007) will start her MPhil at the Centre on January 1, 2008. She will work with the Virus / Immunology team on the interactions between NK activatory receptors and hemagglutinin from avian flu.

HKU-PRC welcomes Josephine.  The first baby Anne-France Gerard and Martial Jaume was born on August 17, 2007 at 00:28 a.m. in United Christian Hospital. The mother and the baby (3.425 kg, 52 cm) are fine and the father is very proud.

Our Scientific Director, Professor Malik Peiris, is cited as one of the inspirational figures in the special anniversary issue of TIME magazine devoted to 60 years of Asian heroes. He is cited alongside Professor Guan Yi, his colleague at Hong Kong University for their ground-breaking research on respiratory viruses.

Inspirations: Guan Yi & Malik Peiris

After almost three years with the old layout, we are pleased to announce the release of the new version of our website.
We hope you will enjoy and find the new design easier to navigate.
Please feel free to post your comments and suggestions about the new site to François Kien and Eric Wong.

October 2006

>> HKU-Pasteur Research Centre Ltd
- New Scientific Director -

Pr Joseph Sriyal Malik Peiris, Professor and Chair in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong is appointed Scientific Director. He succeeds Pr Ralf Altmeyer, after the interim period ensured by Dr Béatrice Nal.
Invited to join the University of Hong Kong to help develop a clinical virology laboratory at the Queen Mary Hospital in 1995, Pr Peiris has been at the forefront of the battle against human viral infections that cause respiratory diseases. He played a key role in the discovery of a novel coronavirus which is the aetiological agent of SARS in 2003. He has also made immense contributions to our understanding of avian influenza and to antibody enhancement in Dengue and West Nile virus infection. Pr Malik Peiris was recently elected to the prestigious Fellowship of the Royal Society.

- New Chief Executive Officer -

Dr Roberto Bruzzone from the Genetics of Sensory Deficit Unit, Institut Pasteur is appointed Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Pr Ralf Altmeyer, after the interim period ensured by Dr Béatrice Nal.
Dr Bruzzone has joined Institut Pasteur in 1995 and held positions of scientific and administrative leadership. He is an internationally recognized expert in neurology, mainly in direct cell-cell communication through connexin and associated diseases. Dr Bruzzone is co-Director of the Course of Molecular Biology of the Cell in Paris and he is reponsible for the International Training and Teaching within the Institut Pasteur International Network. Dr Roberto Bruzzone is also the Coordinator of the AMSUD-Pasteur, the programme for scientific cooperation between academic institutions in Latin American countries and the Pasteur Institute.

Mr Jean Millet starts his Ph.D at the Centre. He joins the "Virus-Host Interactions" unit and works on the "Interactome of cytosolic domains of structural viral proteins of SARS-CoV" project. He attended the 2nd Pasteur-Asia Virology course and did his MPhil training at the Centre.

September 2006

>> HKU-Pasteur Research Centre Ltd
- Board of Directors Meeting, September 12, Paris, France -
Dr Béatrice Nal, Acting CEO & Scientific Director presents the Annual Progress Report to the Board of Directors.

- Facilities' extension -
HKU-Pasteur Research Centre's facilities will extend to the 3/F of Dexter H C Man building.

Mr Kim Tat Teoh starts his Ph.D at the Centre. He joins the "Virus-Host Interactions" unit and works on the "Interactome of cytosolic domains of structural proteins of SARS-CoV" project. He was first in Pasteur-Asia Virology course's 2004.

Dr Ralf Altmeyer announces his decision to leave his position by the end of his mandate (July 31, 2006). He was appointed Scientific Director of HKU-Pasteur Research Centre (HKU-PRC) in July, 2003 and C.E.O. in November, 2003 after he was recruited from the Viral Immunology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France. Throughout his tenure, he has provided scientific and managerial leadership at the highest standard of excellence and has successfully transformed HKU-PRC from a bacteriology and molecular biology laboratory to a state of the art equiped virus research laboratory. He led the development and the implementation of a research strategy for adressing outstanding questions related to treatment of existing and emerging viral infections. He inaugurated the Pasteur-Asia Virology courses and established international networks and collaborations with France, Europe, China, Japan and the United States. The Centre wishes him every success in his future endeavours.
Dr Béatrice Nal is appointed "Acting CEO & Scientific Director" during the interim period until a new CEO & Scientific Director is nominated.

Miss Nadège Lagarde joins the screening platform as research technician. She works on the "Avian Influenza sero-epidemiology" projet.

Miss Karen Ng joins the screening platform as junior laboratory technician.

- New Postdoctoral Fellow -

Dr François Kien re-joins HKU-Pasteur Research Centre as a Post-Doctoral Fellow. He works on the "Interactome of cytolosic domains of structural proteins of H5N1 avian Influenza" project. He has previously worked on the "SARS vaccine" project.

Dr Isabelle Nefkens announces her decision to leave her position as Post-Doctoral Fellow by the end of June, 2006. She joined HKU-Pasteur Research Centre in June, 2005 after her recruitment from the Rega Institute in Leuven, Belgium. During her postdoctoral training she has succesfully developed the H5N1 avian influenza pseudotyped lentiviral vector system which is currently used as a molecular tool for the screening platform and for the "Virus-Host Interactions" project. The Centre wishes her every success in her future endeavours.