The Pasteur Network LP200 Prize awarded to Leo Poon

Leo Lit Man Poon, from the Hong Kong University (HKU)- Pasteur Research Pole, member of the Pasteur Network, was awarded the Pasteur Network LP200 Prize, a special prize in commemoration of the 200^th anniversary of the birth of Louis Pasteur at a ceremony organized by the Institut Pasteur (Paris) on Thursday, January 26^th, 2023. This prize is part of a set of 5 prizes awarded by the Institut Pasteur in the framework of the bicentenary with the support of the Carlsberg Foundation that funded the total Prize amount of € 200,000.

To celebrate the bicentenary of Louis Pasteur’s birth, a series of five prestigious scientific prizes have been created by the Institut Pasteur in 2022. The prizes award for achievements that capture the Pasteur ethos, or “l’esprit Pasteur”, in the fields of biomedical research, public health, or innovation. Among them, one was dedicated to the Pasteur Network: the Pasteur Network LP200 Prize.

The International Jury presided over by Pascale Cossart, Professor at the Institut Pasteur and honorary perpetual secretary of the French Academy of Sciences, with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (2008) and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry Emmanuelle Charpentier (2020), chose Leo Lit Man Poon as laureate. He received the prize from Françoise Barré-Sinoussi.

“This award recognizes the essential contributions of Prof. Poon’s to preparedness, research, collaborations, and commitment to the Pasteur Network, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. It Pr. Poon embodies Louis Pasteur’s vision of science without borders”.

Rebecca F Grais, Executive director of the Pasteur Network

Leo Poon is a professor in the School of Public Health of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong as well as co-director of the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, member of the Pasteur Network. He is a virologist and public health scientist dedicated to studying emerging viruses such as influenza viruses and coronaviruses.

Thus far, he has published about 300 peer-reviewed articles, with an H-index of 93. Since 2005, Leo has been in the Top 1% of most cited scientists and highly cited researcher since 2015. In 2022 Leo was named one of the Top 1,000 scientists by research.com.

Alongside, Leo Poon also serves as an expert in different working groups in international organization, such as the WHO, the WOAH and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), for controlling emerging infectious diseases.

“There are so many great people who work together to combat infectious diseases. It is my honor to work with them to improve public health. Two centuries later, the spirit of Louis Pasteur still contagious”.

Leo Lit Man Poon, co-director of the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, member of the Pasteur Network

Beside the Pasteur Network Louis Pasteur Bicentenary Prize, this series rewarded one head of senior Institut Pasteur scientist, Arnaud Fontanet, one head of junior Institut Pasteur scientist, Mélanie Hamon, and two alumni of the Institut Pasteur, Bruno Canard and Serge Mostowy, respectively with the Senior Alumni Louis Pasteur Bicentenary  Prize and the Junior Alumni Louis Pasteur Bicentenary   Prize and the Pasteur Alumni Louis Pasteur Bicentenary Prizes.

For more information:
Read the biography of Leo Poon on HKU- Pasteur Research Pole website: https://www.hkupasteur.hku.hk/copy-of-poon-lab
Read the news on HKU – Pasteur Research Pole website: https://www.hkupasteur.hku.hk/post/the-pasteur-network-lp200-prize-awarded-to-leo-poon
Read the news on the Institut Pasteur website: https://www.pasteur.fr/en/research-journal/news/louis-pasteur-bicentenary-prize-five-scientists-rewarded
Listen to the podcast (Nature Biotechnology): https://bioengineeringcommunity.nature.com/posts/podcast-creative-grit-episode-2