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Institut Pasteur du Laos : A case study for S&T Cooperation between France and Lao PDR
Paul Brey, Ph.D.
Director Institut Pasteur du Laos
MEXT Science and Technology
Workshop
Tokyo, 8 October 2008

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Institut Pasteur ’s creation in
Paris
1887: Established by international fund raising (Russia, Brazil, Japan,
France) following L. Pasteur’s Rabies vaccine success
« Our institute will be both a health center for treating rabies, a research center for infectious diseases and a learning center » Louis Pasteur

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Origin of the Institut Pasteur
International Network
Three years after the establishment of
Institut Pasteur in Paris, Louis Pasteur decided to establish Institut Pasteur outside of metropolitan France sending his most talented young scientists to vaccinate populations against rabies and smallpox and to study infectious diseases
“The future belongs to those who help suffering humanity”
Louis Pasteur

Origin of the Institut Pasteur
International Network
In 1891, Albert Calmette founded the first
Overseas Institut Pasteur in Saigon
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Today the network includes 30 institutes spanning five continents.

The International network of
Instituts Pasteur
30 Institutes
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Institut Pasteur Laos 2007

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Institut Pasteur International
Network Missions
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Missions
• Research
• Public Health
• Teaching & Training to build local capacity
• Technology transfer
¾ To improve research capacity
¾ To improve the public health in the countries where these institutes are located

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Instituts Pasteur in South East
Asia
• Saigon (HCMC) 1891
• Nha Trang 1895
• Hanoi = NIHE 1926
• Cambodia 1927
• Hong-Kong 2000
• Laos 2007
• Vietnamese IPs retroceded of VN MOH in
1954 & 1975

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Lao PDR and it Infectious Disease
Prevalance
Population 5.6 Million,
236,800 Km2, 1700 Km N-S,
47 Ethnic groups
$375 average annual income
(Least Dev. Countries)
Major infectious diseases:
Dengue, Diarrhea, Malaria, ARIs, Leptospirosis,
Srub Typhus, Hepatitis,HIV/AIDS, Jap.
Enceph.,Rabies, Whooping Cough, parasitic helminths (Opistorchis, Schistosoma…)
Emerging re-emerging viral diseases: AI H5N1, Dengue,
Hantavirus infections, unidentified pathologies

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Lao PDR Govt. Requests IP to
Establish IP Laos
Dr. Ponmek Dalaloy
Minister of Health Lao
PDR
• Following SARS and AI H5N1 in 2003 in SE Asia Lao PDR
Govt. requests IP to set up IP
Laos
• 2006 IP Board of Directors votes to go ahead with IP Laos as
Lao National Institute
• 2006 General Agreement between Lao PDR Govt. and IP
• 2007 Lao Prime Minister signs decree for the creation of IP Laos

Legal Structure of IP Laos
IP Laos is a Lao National Institute, non-for-profit, scientific institution, in the public interest as such:
• Autonomous and independent, under the authority of the Lao
Ministry of Health and a Board of Directors (3 Lao & 2 French).
• Able to engage freely in collaborative research and investigations with other Lao and international research and public health organisations.
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• Able to receive outside funding (philanthropy and grants) and to generate its own resources through its own discoveries to insure its sustainability. IP Laos abides by the WHO International Health
Regulations (Sample sharing).

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Control and Management of IP Laos
Board of Directors
Chairman of the Board ex officio Lao Minister of Health
Financial & Administrative Department
General Director
Department of Research
Scientific Advisory Board
Department of Education
Training and Mentoring
Training Lab Financial Service
Human ressources
Logistics
Virology Lab
Vector-borne Diseases/Parasitology Lab
Research Epidemiology Lab
Microbiology Lab

Mandate and Objectives of
IP Laos
• To participate in the surveillance, research and prevention of infectious diseases in Laos
• To participate in training and capacity building of Lao medical doctors and researchers in the areas of scientific research.
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• As part of the National Plan to the investigation of emerging viral infections in both humans and in animal reservoirs

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Budget
Institut Pasteur Laos is funded by
Institut Pasteur and the International
Donor Community:
French Development Agency
Luxembourg Government
French Ministry of Health
Asian Development Bank
International Corporate Foundation
BUDGET :
Investment : 2.6 M€
Functioning for 5 yrs : 7 M€
---
Functioning cost target : 0.6 M€ / yr

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Scientific Programs put in place prior to and during Set up of IP Laos
PROGRAMS :
1.
Reinforcement technical assistance to virology
2.
Analysis of Health impact of the Nam Theun 2 Hydro electric Dam in Khammouan Province (NTPC MOH
Lao IP)

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Unique features of IP Laos compared to other S&T Cooperation between G8 and
LDC countries
1. Co-creation France- Lao PDR but Lao “ownership” with long-term French guidance
2. Lao Autonomy after 16 years
3. Not a Project but an Institution
4. Adapt Research and Training activities to Country’s needs
5. IP Laos is sole owner of its Intellectual Property
(important for its sustainability)

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Unique features of IP Laos compared to other S&T Collaboration
• Membership and support from the IP International
Network
• Underlying Humanitarian Philosophy with the aim of improving the public health conditions of the Lao people
• Multiple international donors, but without voting rights on Board of Directors
• IP Laos Scientific Staff not exclusively Lao and
French