Participating institutions and their specificities
Partner 1: Institut Pasteur
Principal investigator: Brigitte Gicquel
Expertise of the Laboratory and Profile of the staff members :
The Mycobacterial Gentics Unit belongs to the department of Genomes and Genetics of the Institut Pasteur. The Mycobacterial Genetics Unit comprises 20 persons from 4 different countries. This unit has developed PCR tests for the identification of M. tuberculosis and isolated the first DNA sequence that was used as a marker for strain genotyping (IS6110). This Unit has developed mycobacterial genetic tools, shuttle vectors, transposons, systems for gene inactivation and studied host-pathogen interactions at the level of the pathogen and of the host. This Unit has discovered virulence factors of the pathogen and identified the major receptor of M. tuberculosis on Dendritic cells (DC-SIGN). They have recently identified in M. tuberculosis horizontal genetic transfer and important polymorphisms in DNA repair genes. Brigitte Gicquel is the head of the Mycobacterial Genetics Unit. She has directed 14 Ph.D theses. Her unit has published more than 100 original papers and more than 10 reviews on Mycobacteria and tuberculosis. Prof. Brigitte Gicquel has coordinated several E.C. projects during the BIOTECH, BIOMED and the FP5th programs. She is participating to several FP6 and one FP7 projects. She has recently organized an international training workshop in Shanghai (May 2008) on molecular tools for the diagnosis, drug susceptibility testing and epidemiology of tuberculosis (www.moleculartb.org. She was a member of the IMMYC committee at WHO, of the Basic Immunology and Infectious diseases panel at the WELLCOME trust and of several national committees on tuberculosis and vaccines. She is a member of EMBO.
Partner 2: Institut Pasteur de la Guadeloupe
Research laboratory: Tuberculosis & Mycobacteria Unit
Principal investigators: Dr. Nalin Rastogi
Profile of the staff members who will be undertaking the work
The TB & Mycobacteria Unit is headed by Dr. Nalin Rastogi (Ph.D, D.Sc.). He has directed research of 96 scientists and trainees since 1986. Dr. Rastogi has co-authored 260 published papers since 1978. He has been awarded many international grants including NIAID and NIH funding through US Federal agencies, through French Ministries of Education and Research, French National AIDS Research Agency (ANRS), as well as the European Union. An previously elected member of the Committee on Bacteriology and Immunology of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (IUATLD), he also worked as the elected General Secretary of the European Society for Mycobacteriology (ESM ; 1993-1998). A WHO-trained senior TB consultant, he was recently appointed as Country Liaison by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). He is a nominated member of the Administrative Council, Committee of Specialists – Division of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Genetics, as well as to the Doctoral School of the University of French West Indies & Guiana. His laboratory is also duly enrolled with Doctoral Schools in Trinidad & Tobago, and with the University of Paris VI and Paris VII.
Partner 3: Institut Pasteur de Tunis (IPT)
Research laboratory: Mycobacterial Genetics Unit and Department of Immunology
Principal investigators: Helmi Mardassi (Scientific coordinator), Ridha M. Barbouche
Description of the legal entity and of the main tasks it has been attributed:
The Institut Pasteur de Tunis, a public health institute funded since 1893, was mandated to ensure three main missions: (i) research and training on public health-related diseases, (2) clinical diagnosis, and (iii) production of sera and vaccines. IPT has already participated and scientifically coordinated several EC funded projects, notably on leishmaniasis, rabies, viral hepatitis, and entomology. A research activity on TB has been initiated several years ago. Topics relating to both the pathogen and the host are addressed.
Partner 4: Research Center Borstel (FZB)
Research laboratory: Molecular Mycobacteriology, Microbial Inflammation Research
Principal investigators: Dr. Stefan Niemann
Description of the legal entity and of the main tasks it has been attributed:
The Research Center Borstel (Germany) is among the top research institutes for Infection Biology in Pulmonary Medicine in Europe. The Center's activities are characterized by an interdisciplinary approach combining basic sciences and clinical trials to propagate translational research. Tuberculosis is one of the most important fields of Infection Biology research in Borstel. Key work has been done on drug resistance mechanisms, new tools for molecular typing, the population structure of the M. tuberculosis complex and on the dissection of key molecules involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. A high throughput laboratory for phenotypic/molecular characterization of mycobacterial isolates is available (including state-of-the-art molecular methods such as MIRU-VNTR genotyping as well as DNA sequencing and gene expression analysis). Furthermore, an S3 laboratory for generation of and working with M. tuberculosis mutants is in place. The bio safety level 3 facilities also comprise space for M. tuberculosis infected mice, flow cytometry, and primary macrophage cultures.
Partner 5: Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de la Salud (I+CS)
Research laboratory: Mycobacterial Genetics
Principal investigators: Pr. Carlos Martin
Description of the legal entity and of the main tasks it has been attributed:
I+CS is a public institution dependent on the Government of Aragon devoted to Health Sciences development. It was created by the Regional Health Law (6/2002) and its objectives entail the scientific coordination, promotion and management of research in health sciences developed in public hospitals and health services of Aragon. In order to fulfil its aims, and according to the framework agreement signed between the Regional Health System of Aragón (owner of the hospitals) and the I+CS, all the research groups and infrastructures from public hospitals and health centres are managed by I+CS, besides their structural dependence. Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de la Salud has the required expertise and infrastructure for supporting the management of this supporting action, as demonstrated by its successful management of National and International Projects.
Partner 6: Institut National d’Hygiène du Maroc (INH)
Research laboratory: National reference laboratory of tuberculosis
Principal investigators: Pr Raja El Aouad, Dr Ouafae Lahlou
Description of the legal entity and of the main tasks it has been attributed:
The Institut National d’Hygiène (INH) is a public health institution of the Moroccan ministry of health (established since 1930) in charge of laboratory investigations and implementation of public health laboratory network. It supports since its creation health programs including epidemiological surveillance and activities related to health security.
The INH has been charged by the Ministry of Health:
- To develop the expertise, the scientific and technical support for health programs and to undertake research and studies relating to the health biology and surveillance.
- To propose norms in health biology and to accomplish all mission of control, of which it could be commissioned by the administration.
- To develop vigilance systems related to the human health.
- To participate in the training of the medical, paramedical and scientific personnel and to ensure the diffusion of the information related to its expertise.
- To promote and to develop the national and international cooperation in sanitary biology and vigilance.
Partner 7: Institut Pasteur d’Algérie ( IPA)
Principal investigator: Pr. Fadila BOULAHBAL
Description of the legal entity and of the main tasks it has been attributed:
Institut Pasteur d’Algérie (IPA) is a non-profit Public Health Institution dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis, epidemiological surveillance of infectious diseases, research and education for high level degrees students. It hosts about 800 people including approximately 150 researchers, 250 technicians, 100 persons for production of human and veterinary vaccines and sera, about 150 persons for commercial delivery aspects and 100 persons dedicated to administrative purposes. IPA is member of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes, and has been involved in numerous international studies. It was the leader of the work package for Tuberculosis in the EMPHIS/EUMEDIS project.
Partner 8 : The Stephan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Research laboratory: Laboratory of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Drug Resistance
Principal investigator: Assoc. Prof. Nadya Markova, MD, PhD, Violeta Valcheva, PhD
Description of the legal entity and of the main tasks it has been attributed:
The Stephan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is a national research center in microbiological sciences founded in 1947. The main research activities are in the field of general and applied microbiology, infectious microbiology, immunology and virology. The recognition of the Institute is reflected through its acceptance in the family of the Institutes Pasteur in 2004. The members of the staff of this group have long-term experience in studying virulent properties, organization and implementation of experimental and clinical-diagnostic activity as well as molecular-genetic detection, epidemiology and phylogenetics of drug resistant tuberculosis. The main research topics of mycobacteriological laboratory are the mycobacterial pathogenesis, molecular mechanisms of drug resistance, molecular epidemiology, phylogeny and evolution of mycobacteria. The laboratory is equipped with recently acquired, state-of-the art equipment for molecular genetics and basic mycobacteriology experiments.