The Pasteur network

Abstract

Inspired by Louis Pasteur, the international network of Pasteur Institutes forms an original body of research institutes whose vitality has grown steadily since Albert Calmette first created the Saigon Institute in 1891. The dynamic development of the 23 Pasteur Institutes currently implanted throughout the world was made possible by three driving forces. First of all, Pasteur's own teaching - 'Advance only what you can prove experimentally' - the founding principle of modern research. Secondly, the international missions headed by leading collaborators including Thuillier who worked on cholera in Egypt, Loir who initiated antirabies research in Australia and Russia, Calmette in Saigon, and others in Rio de Janeiro, Dalat, Tunis and Alger. And finally Pasteur's own personal renown. Today the Pasteur Institutes fill a vital need in their respective countries developing and producing vaccines locally, serving often as the only competent medical laboratory in developing countries and helping improve standards of hygiene adapted to local situations. Fundamental research has always been at the heart of Pasteur Institutes, coupled with essential training for technicians and researchers alike. Despite political incertitudes and turmoil, the international network of Pasteur Institutes has held its place as the leader in scientific progress for over a century, setting the place for modern international research. The Cantacuzene Institute in Bucarest and the Pasteur Institute in Saint-Petersburg which joined the network in 1991 and 1993 are the most recent examples of the fundamental principle of exchange and cooperation so important for further development.