November 2009

>> International Short Course in Biostatistics
- REDI Center, Singapore, 9-13 November, 2009 -
REDI Center, in close partnership with the International Network of Pasteur Institutes in South-East Asia and the National University of Singapore, organized an International Short Course in Biostatistics.
This course is aimed at those particularly in the health sector who would like to acquire the necessary skills to enable them to quickly set up databases, enter collected data and perform a variety of standard statistical analyses. Through a series of lectures and hands-on sessions, this course which is divided in two modules, aims to provide participants an introduction to biostatistics as well as an insight into the whole range of functions of the EpiData and SPSS software for data management and analysis. The course participants come from Ministry of Health in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao, Singapore and Vietnam.

• the disease burden and control & prevention activities in the region;
• lessons learnt from the use of vaccines for Japanese encepahlaitis in the region;
• existing diagnostic tools for viral encephalitis;
• the epidemiology of other pathogens of acute encephalitis;
• current funding for the control of viral encephalitis

>> HKU-PRC to host the 2010 meeting of the Board of Directors of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes
- 42nd meeting of the Board of Directors of the iNternational Network of Pasteur Institutes, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 19-20 October, 2009 -
The 42nd meeting of the Board of Directors of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes was hosted by Fiocruz in Rio de Janeiro, October 19-20, 2009. The agenda included workshops of the regional groups, updates on strategic initiatives and discussion on the new Cooperation Agreement that will be undersigned by all members. The Board decided that HKU-PRC will organize the next meeting in November/December 2010 in Hong Kong. We will be soon advertising on this event from our website.

>> Symposium "Challenges of biomedical science at the beginning of the XXIth century"
- Fiocruz, Museum of Life, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 20-22, 2009 -
Within the framework of the year of France in Brazil, a French-Brazilian scientific symposium "Challenges of biomedical science at the beginning of the XXIth century" was organized by Fiocruz and Institut Pasteur in Rio de Janeiro on October 20-22, 2009. French and Brazilian scientists of various research institutions from both countries discussed the contributions of fundamental and translational research to public health policies. Dr Roberto Bruzzone gave a talk on "Virus-host cell interactions: from cell biology to diagnostic".

September 2009

>> HKU-PRC joins the Department of Cell Biology and Infection of Institut Pasteur and takes part in the annual retreat of the Department
- Department of Cell Biology and Infection, Institut Pasteur, October 12-14, 2009 -
HKU-PRC has joined the Department of Cell Biology and Infection (CBI) as an "Associated Unit" with the support of our Board of Mangement and the Scientific Direction of Institut Pasteur. This association will strengthen the already existing ties (viz., in teaching and imaging) and favor scientific
exchanges between Paris and Hong Kong. HKU-PRC will take part in the annual retreat of the Department (next one coming up on October 12-14) and will continue hosting several investigators from CBI during the annual courses and Croucher-Pasteur Exchange programme.

July 2009

>> New Publication in PLoS ONE
- Published article -
The article entitled "Evidence of recombination and genetic diversity in human rhinoviruses in children with acute respiratory infection" by Huang T. is published in PLoS ONE.

>> EU – South East Asia Expert Meeting on Vector Borne Diseases
- Identifying opportunities for Collaboration, Biopolis, Singapore, July 27-28, 2009 -
SEA-EU-NET, the Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN, A*STAR) and the British High Commission Singapore co-organized an EU-South East Asia Expert Meeting on Vector Borne Diseases in Singapore (July 27-28, 2009). The two-day conference brought together scientists from the European Union and South East Asia to identify opportunities for collaboration and form consortia to bid into the upcoming calls on vector-borne diseases of the FP7 program. More than 20 scientists and experts from leading research centres, universities and hospitals in the European Union (EU) and South East Asia discussed topics such as virology, parasitology, transmission, diagnostics, and treatment and prevention strategies of vector-borne diseases at Biopolis. Over 200 scientists attended the conference.
Dr Roberto Bruzzone gave a talk entitled "A network approach to vector-borne diseases: the impact of DENFRAME and the International Network of Pasteur Institutes”. He discussed how international research networks such as DENFRAME and the International Network of Pasteur Institutes can play key roles in the management of infectious diseases world-wide and fostering innovative research. He also presented the SISEA Program of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes — a network program and public health project supported by the French Development Agency, for the surveillance and investigation of respiratory infections and acute encephalitis syndromes.

For more information, download the press release and the programme & abstracts.

June 2009

>> Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN)
- Visit of SIgN by Institutes Pasteur of Asian Network, Singapore, June 14-15, 2009 -
Directors of Institues Pasteur of Asian Network visited the Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) chaired by Pr Philippe Kourilsky. After a day of scientific presentations and a general discussion, several options to promote further collaboration around the following research areas emerged:

• innate immunity
• dengue and arboviruses
• malaria

and a development of the RESPARI program with emphasis on the immune response to respiratory viruses, taking advantage of the focus on human immunology provided by SIgN.

May 2009

>> Institut Pasteur
- The Institut Pasteur and the U.S. CDC sign a Memorandum of Understanding to promote global public health, May 27, 2009, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland -
The Institut Pasteur and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the occasion of the Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO), in Geneva, last week. The agreement unites the efforts of these two organizations – both leaders in the field of global public health – by creating a framework for shared and lasting actions to benefit public health and health security at the international level.

The Memorandum of Understanding signed* by the Institut Pasteur and the U.S. CDC will reinforce the exchange of information and the realization of collaborative actions around the globe, notably with regard to initiatives supported by the WHO aiming to improve global health security and fight infectious disease. The objective is to optimize the response of both institutions by enhanced coordination, particularly during emergency situations such as the outbreak of new epidemics. The accord helps strengthen the ongoing exchange and circulation of information between these two institutions.

The leadership of the Institut Pasteur and the U.S. CDC hope furthermore to unite their efforts to implement the International Health Regulations (IHR) through a mutually agreed-upon approach. As a result, the two institutions will improve their ability to work closely with international bodies and provide technical support to countries in need, particularly in the areas of evaluation of needs for surveillance programs and the implementation of action plans.

The Institut Pasteur and the CDC also expect to reap long-term benefits by providing an improved response to emerging challenges in the field of international public health.

* The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Alice Dautry, president of the Institut Pasteur, and Stephen B. Blount, director of the Coordinating Office for Global Health at the CDC, in the presence of Yves Charpak, director of International Affairs at the Institut Pasteur, and representatives of WHO led by Guénaël Rodier, director in charge of International Health Regulations (IHR) at WHO.

>> Institut Pasteur International Network
- Scientitifc Report 2008 -
The first ever Scientific Report of the Institut Pasteur International Network is now available in English and French. This report presents the public health, research and training activities of the insitutes belonging to the Institut Pasteur International Network (IPIN), as well as our collaborations at the regional and international level. It reflects the important work being done by all members of the IPIN.

In addition, a pamphlet presenting the RIIP: its members, its activities and the work in partnership that is its principal asset, is also available.

>> Molecular Detection of Swine Influenza H1N1
- Institut Pasteur Pais, France, May 19, 2009-
Researchers at the National Influenza Centre in Institut Pasteur Paris have developed a 12-hour swine influenza H1N1 detection test. Based on RT-PCR (Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction) technology targeting the H1 gene this sensible assay allows a faster detection of cases of the newly emergent H1N1 virus compared to viral genome sequencing. Institut Pasteur has made it available to all the French refecence laboratories and to the Institut Pasteur International Network.

>> Institut Pasteur Korea
-Inauguration Ceremony at its New Headquaters at Pangyo Techno-Valley, May 8, 2009 -
Institut Pasteur Korea (IPK) is pleased to announce that in keeping pace with its rapid growth and development, it will be relocating from its current KIST/KNFC facilities to a larger and recently constructed space in Pangyo Techno-valley. This move will enable the IPK to take research to new heights and to better serve collaborators, employees, and partners.

February 2009

>> Scientific Congress
-SISEA at the XI International Symposium on Respiratory Viral Infections, February 19-22, 2009, Bangkok, Thailand -

>> New publication
- A new SISEA publication from Institut Pasteur Cambodia -
In this paper the authors report of the unexpected findings of pulmonary forms of melioidosis in the hospital-based surveillance initiated with the SISEA project. 
They conclude that "Melioidosis might prove to be a significant public health issue in Cambodia. It can therefore be anticipated that when microscopic diagnostic possibilities become more widely available, B. pseudomallei will be relatively more frequently detected as a causative agent of community-acquired infections, with diabetes as underlying predisposing factor. 
The IPC-initiated surveillance of pneumonias in Takeo Provincial Hospital will provide the first reliable information from a public hospital on how often melioidosis is the cause of infection amongst patients presenting with pulmonary infections.
The initiative of the Pasteur Institute to provide possibilities to diagnose melioidosis to the clinicians in the public hospitals in the provinces, combined with activities to make these clinicians knowledgeable about the disease, will provide further information on the existence of melioidosis in the different provinces of Cambodia.

Download the article.

January 2009

>> SISEA
- Third Steering Committee meeting, National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE), December 17, 2008, Vientiane, Laos -
The 3rd Steering Committee meeting was hosted by the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE) in Vientiane (Laos) on December 17, 2008, in the presence of Dr Christophe Paquet of the AFD and of Dr Chris Oxenford of the WHO. 
All partners presented an update of the surveillance and molecular diagnostic programs, which will be available in the near future through the 2008 activity report.  The Steering Committee decided to continue consultation on a regular basis through conference call to closely monitor the program and decided to organize a workshop on encephalitis in the first half of 2009.