A*STAR ID LABS – Pasteur Joint Symposium

Consult the Booklet of the event

A*STAR ID Labs – the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research – Infectious Diseases Labs- and the Institut Pasteur have jointly organized a symposium involving the Pasteur Network.

A Singaporean delegation from A*STAR ID Labs was present at the Institut Pasteur campus on October 5 and 6, 2023, including A*STAR ID Labs Executive Director, Prof Lisa Ng, and A*STAR ID Labs Deputy Director, Ms Amanda Loo. On the opening session, Her Excellency Ms FOO Teow Lee, Ambassador of Singapore in France, reaffirmed the will of Singapore to foster research collaborations with France, and warmly welcomed the strengthening of ties between A*STAR ID Labs and the Institut Pasteur.

The scientific presentations were structured around three broad research areas: respiratory diseases, vector-borne diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Those research areas constitute scientific priorities for A*STAR ID Labs and the Institut Pasteur, as well as for the Pasteur Network.

The first session provided participants with an outline on ongoing tuberculosis research in the Pasteur Network and at the Institut Pasteur, and on epidemic preparedness at A*STAR ID Labs. The second session focused on vector-borne diseases with a wide-range of topics addressed, such as mosquito-virus interactions, trypanosome research, and viral-neuro-immune dynamics in arboviral infections, among others. The last session of the symposium outlined the latest research on antimicrobial resistance undertaken at A*STAR ID Labs, notably on phage therapy, at the Institut Pasteur, for instance on the development of new antibiotics, and in the Pasteur Network, regarding the ongoing battle against antibiotic resistance.

Around 50 colleagues from the Institut Pasteur campus attended the symposium sessions. The speakers’ presentations as well as more relaxed networking moments provided the participants with opportunities to discuss future research projects and collaborations.

About A*Star/ID Labs

Founded in April 2021 as part of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore’s lead public sector R&D agency, ID Labs brings together a global and interdisciplinary team of scientists to generate purposeful outcomes towards preparedness and defense against emerging infectious disease threats, a vision shared by the Institut Pasteur and the Pasteur Network.

About the Institut Pasteur

The Institut Pasteur, a non-profit foundation with recognized charitable status set up by Louis Pasteur in 1887, is today an internationally renowned center for biomedical research.  In the pursuit of its mission to tackle diseases in France and throughout the world, the Institut Pasteur operates in four main areas: research, public health, training, and development of research applications. The Institut Pasteur is a globally recognized leader in infectious diseases, microbiology, and immunology, with research focusing on the biology of living systems. Among its areas of investigation are emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, certain cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and brain connectivity disorders. The Institut Pasteur’s outstanding research is facilitated by the development of a technological environment of the highest standard, with core facilities for nanoimaging, computational biology and artificial intelligence. Since its inception, 10 Institut Pasteur scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine, including two in 2008 for the 1983 discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. The Institut Pasteur is part of the Pasteur Network.

About the Pasteur Network

The Pasteur Network is a vast human and scientific community with more than 30 members in over 20 countries contributing together to global health. Located in the heart of endemic areas, the Network has privileged access to a large number of pathogens that it monitors and studies on all five continents. This exceptional diversity makes the Pasteur Network a unique global actor in public health, science, innovation, and education, especially in the fight against infectious diseases.