Members of the Pasteur Network Asia-Pacific Region Share Expertise on Vaccine Development at Regional Meeting

On May 29th, the second online scientific meeting brought together over 70 scientists from the Pasteur Network to share their knowledge and expertise on vaccine development.

Chaired by Dr. Delaram Doroud, Director Director of research, technology and Education of Institute Pasteur Iran with the support of Khaoula Abidi, the Strategic Development officer for the Asia-Pacific Region of the Pasteur Network – this regional meeting featured presentations of experts from Institut Pasteur of Iran, the Institut Pasteur Korea, and the Institut Pasteur of Ho Chi Minh City.

The meeting fostered engaging discussions among participants. This topic aligns with the Pasteur Network’s strategic pillar of Research, Development, and Innovation, shared by all members of the network.

The Asia-Pacific region is a hotspot for emerging infectious diseases due to factors like dense populations, diverse ecosystems, and frequent travel, making the region more vulnerable to outbreaks. The local presence of Pasteur Network members in Asia and the Pacific allows researchers to understand specific needs and challenges to better find solutions. Vaccine development is essential to controlling outbreaks before they become widespread epidemics. The network’s research capabilities are crucial for rapid response. The Pasteur Network fosters collaboration among members to accelerate vaccine development by sharing resources, expertise, and data.

The +70 participants attended three presentations followed by discussions:

Professor Sima Rafati from Pasteur Institute of Iran presented PII research strategies to develop vaccines against neglected diseases. Leishmaniasis is a major public health concern in tropical and subtropical regions and some parts of Iran, posing challenges at multiple levels, including patient care, healthcare systems, and the environment. She discussed how climate change is impacting the spread of sandflies, the insect vectors of the disease. Notably, research on this topic at the Institute Pasteur in Iran dates back to 1910. This institute has a long history of involvement in infectious disease control, including vaccine development. They currently focus on different diagnostic tests developing for leishmaniasis and are actively working on different platforms mainly live and live attenuated vaccines

Dr. Eui Ho Kim from the Institut Pasteur Korea gave a presentation on the immunological characterization of key vaccine platforms including protein subunit, viral vector and mRNA vaccines. He explained that different vaccine platforms induce distinct immune profiles and outcomes. In particular, mRNA vaccines trigger strong humoral and cellular immune responses that seem to wane relatively quickly. He also mentioned that further investigations into the molecular mechanisms of different vaccines would provide valuable insights into improving current vaccines. The third presentation, delivered by Dr. VY from the Institute Pasteur of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, focused on their expertise in vaccine clinical trials (including phase 1 to 4), from new investigated vaccine to licensed vaccine, covering not only operating vaccine but also biological products. She shared trial results of the institute and detailed approval procedures for trials and the clinical organization around this activity. The IP Ho Chi Minh Clinical Research Center composed by 10 experts and several investigators from satellite sites, is willing to develop and expend the clinical trials in IVD.

More about
– Research, Development, and Innovation strategic pillars of the Pasteur Network: https://pasteur-network.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Theory-of-change_PN_January_2024.pdf
– The members of the Pasteur Network Asia-Pacific Region: https://pasteur-network.org/en/members/