The HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, is a joint laboratory, established by The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Institut Pasteur (IP), under the School of Public Health (SPH) of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong. As one of the region's leaders in Covid-19 scientific research, HKU-Pasteur is committed to developing research and education programs that contribute to mitigating the impact of infectious diseases. 
 

In 2022 two group leaders (Tun and Valkenburg) departed to continue their careers elsewhere, a clear indication of our role as fertile soil to further careers of young scientists.  They both keep a small group at HKU-Pasteur to continue collaborative research that is supported by long-term grants. 
 

Over the 2023-2024 period, the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole laboratories have continued their exploration on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, specifically respiratory and mosquito-borne viruses, as well as antimicrobial resistance (AMR).  The Poon laboratory has strong interests that are related to emerging viruses, ranging from studying basic biology of RNA viruses to developing molecular diagnostic tools for infectious diseases.  The Dhanasekaran laboratory conducts advanced research at the intersection of infectious disease ecology, evolution and epidemiology, aiming to uncover the mechanisms driving disease emergence and transmission.  His recent work on the resurgence of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses earned the HKU Research Output Prize 2023-2024.  The Lam laboratory focuses on the evolution, epidemiology and ecology of infectious diseases.  The main research interest of the Wong laboratory is the understanding of virus evolution and its impacts on host immunity at a population and at the individual level.  The Valkenburg laboratory aims to define immune correlates of protection for influenza viruses from infection and vaccination. 

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We have recruited two group leaders, You Che (from NIH, USA) and Wuji Zhang (from the University of Melbourne, Australia).  Che’s current research focuses on the interactions between microbiota and immunity in patients and elderly population.  Zhang studies the transcriptional profiles of B and T cell immune responses following influenza virus infection and vaccination.  They will strengthen our programs and the efforts of the School of Public Health at HKU in immunology and microbiome research. 

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An external review of the HKU-Pasteur was undertaken in 2021 to assess its overall performance at the mid-term of the 10-year agreement between HKU and IP (2016-2026).  The review team recognized the continuing high quality and international impact of the scientific work as well as the teaching & training programs of HKU-Pasteur, which is organized around a core of Group Leaders engaged in competitive research projects aligned with the scientific priorities of HKU and IP.  

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Several prestigious awards have been received by our young scientists for their exceptional research contributions: Sarah Bai, a Postdoctoral Fellow co-supervised by Mark Zanin (HKU) and Sook San Wong, Isaac Chow, a PhD student, under Sook San Wong’s supervision, and Ruopeng Xie, PhD under Vijaykrishna Dhanasekaran’s supervision. 

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Following the pandemic-related suspension of courses, we resumed our educational program in 2023 with the Croucher Summer Course series "Emerging Viral Infections – The One Health Approach".  This edition explored challenges and knowledge gaps in investigating outbreaks and responding to pandemics.  In 2024, we held the 10th HKU-Pasteur Cell Biology Course, and the 11th HKU-Pasteur Immunology Course, co-organized with the Center for Immunology & Infection (C2i). 

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We have also resumed the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole Fellowship Program that provides a unique opportunity for postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows in Hong Kong and Macau to pursue their research projects at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. 

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In our ongoing efforts to establish a strong identity that promotes the missions of HKU, IP, and the Pasteur Network, we have pursued the development of the Centre for Immunology & Infection, which has been renewed with a grant from the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) for an additional five years.  This translational research laboratory addresses significant public healthcare challenges through novel technology platforms for biomarker discovery and the development of new vaccine and therapeutic strategies.