Institut Pasteur International Network Missions

The role of the Institut Pasteur International Network is to help improve human health, particularly by dealing with infectious agents, through biomedical research, public health activities, education and innovation and technology transfer. These missions are carried out with a view to sustainable development. This is achieved by building up local capabilities while respecting human rights and the environment.

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It is a unique model for health cooperation and, in addition to its structures, brings together a human and scientific community that focuses on both local and international health priorities.

 

RESEARCH

Research is centered on the main pathologies transmitted by bacterial, parasitic or viral agents. It is closely linked to the health challenges and requirements of the country in which each member institute is based. It involves all the major pathologies on the international agenda (tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, malaria, viral hepatitis) and neglected diseases (rabies, leishmaniasis, Buruli ulcer, etc.).

Various teams in Africa and Asia are seeking to identify emerging pathogens, zoonoses and vector-borne diseases (dengue, encephalitis, hemorrhagic fevers, chikungunya, etc.), and shed light on the risk factors for these emerging diseases. Antimicrobial resistance is also a major area of research within the Network. Spread over five continents, the Institut Pasteur International Network (IPIN) is in a perfect position to implement a “One Health” research approach, combining human and animal health and environmental concerns. Network researchers — women and men from many different cultural backgrounds — are united by the same scientific rigor and values for research that benefits all.

The excellent relationships between the Network laboratories and national and international health authorities foster synergy between local priorities and the international scientific community. They also enable technology transfers and the implementation of groundbreaking biological technologies in environments that would otherwise have no access to such benefits.

 

PUBLIC HEALTH

At the request of Health Ministries, the International Network houses a large number of national and international reference centers for infectious diseases and resistance to antimicrobial agents. These National Reference Centers act as observatories for communicable diseases in the countries where they are located while WHO Collaborating Centers perform a similar function for the WHO network. This health and epidemiological surveillance role is essential for responding to epidemics, understanding the environment and epidemiological mechanisms that lead to the development of endemics, and detecting the emergence or reemergence of infectious agents.

 

Most members of the Institut Pasteur International Network provide vaccination, clinical biology, environmental microbiology and screening services. Some member institutes are also involved in producing vaccines at the request of local health authorities and/or WHO.

 

EDUCATION

Each International Network institute is tasked with increasing the number of scientific human resources, laboratory technicians and health professionals in the countries where they are based.

Several institutes are laboratories that welcome both national and international university students. In addition, they provide supervision for national and international interns as part of the continuing education of specialist doctors and/or laboratory technicians. Researchers from member institutes are involved in training specialists through postgraduate courses and seminars. And several centers within the International Network are geared to training and welcoming interns.

Member institutes also offer international courses and develop training programs in partnership with local universities and institutions. These programs, which are open to everyone, therefore help to transfer knowledge and train future scientists and public health experts in all regions of the world.

 

INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

The very strategic challenges of innovation and technology transfer are current areas for development within International Network institutes. Some of them, like the Institut Pasteur in Korea, are developing screening platforms or new methods for diagnosis (Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Institut Pasteur in Montevideo, etc.).

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