The HKU-Pasteur Research Pole is delighted to announce the new edition of its Immunology Course co-organised with the Centre for Immunology & Infection. Quantitative Immunology: From population to individual immunity NOVEMBER 15-20, 2026 Deadline for Applications: 30 June 2026 The 12th HKU-Pasteur Immunology Course will explore the frontiers of quantitative immunology to describe the function of the immune system in health and disease at a population and individual level. Th

🇫🇷🇭🇰 Yesterday morning in Paris, representatives of the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole took part in a high-level meeting at the Institut Pasteur to further strengthen the long-standing partnership between Institut Pasteur and The University of Hong Kong. The HKU delegation was led by Prof. Xiaobo Yin, Associate Vice-President of HKU, accompanied by Ms Winnie Lai, Director of the Academic Liaison Office at HKU, and Dr. Eric Deharo, Co-director of the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole.

Congratulations to HKU-Pasteur's You Che on the publication of a new review article in Cell Host & Microbe, in collaboration with Dr. Heidi Kong from NIAMS, NIH. This important study highlights the skin virome as a key component of the skin ecosystem, with significant roles in microbial ecology, immune homeostasis, and skin health. It explores how the virome evolves across the human lifespan, its involvement in various skin disorders, and emerging therapeutic opportunities. T

Led by the Centre for Immunology & Infection with Professor Malik Peiris, Professor Roberto Bruzzone, and in collaboration with the Institut Pasteur, researchers from Milieu Intérieur (Institut Pasteur), the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and the School of Public Health at HKU, this study has identified a key innate immune pathway that predicts individual responses to mRNA vaccines. In a study published in Science Advances, the research team demonstrates th

Professor Chitin Hon, accompanied by Ms. Jingjing Tian and Mr. Kerui Cen, visited the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole to plan the seminar “New Public Health Challenges: The Role of Infectious Disease, AI, and Exposomics” scheduled to take place at the Macau University of Science and Technology on September 22, 2026. During the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding was drafted, and potential collaborative research projects were explored with You Che, Wuji Zhang, and Sook-San Wong. Ni

On 28–29 May 2026, Eric Deharo visited Macao to meet William Bascaule, Director of the Alliance Française, to discuss the organization of lectures and exhibitions. Proposed thematic areas include the microbiome and nutrition, biodiversity and zoonotic transmission, and exposomics and toxicology. Potential funding avenues in collaboration with Macanese universities were explored for implementation of these initiatives in 2027. Additionally, with the supportive guidance of M. H

On 27 April 2026, the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, hosted a scientific lecture bringing together complementary perspectives on viral diseases : from clinical biomarker discovery to comparative pathology. The session featured Pr. Pooi-Fong Wong (Universiti Malaya), who presented her research on immune-endothelial activation markers in dengue. Her talk addressed a key clinical challenge: the early identification of patients at risk of developing severe dengue. While current indic

MEDIA RELEASE HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, Hong Kong, April 2026 Hong Kong, 27/04/26 A new study in Nature Health (published on 01 April 2026) links environmental exposure to agricultural pesticides with increased cancer risk. Combining environmental modeling, a nationwide cancer registry and molecular analyses, researchers from theIRD (National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, France), the Pasteur Network (HKU-Pasteur Research Pole and the Institut Pasteur in Pa

On 27 April 2026, the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole and the HKU LKS Faculty of Medicine will host a Scientific Lecture bringing together two complementary perspectives on viral diseases : ranging from clinical biomarker discovery to comparative pathology in animal models, invited by Pr. Sook-San Wong. This session will feature Pr. Pooi-Fong Wong (Universiti Malaya), who will present her work on “Evaluation of immune-endothelial activation markers for the differentiation of severe

We were delighted to welcome back Jean Millet, an alumnus of the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, for a special seminar in which he shared both his research and his scientific journey. Jean Millet began his work here at HKU-Pasteur, where he studied human coronavirus–host interactions in the pre-pandemic era. This early experience, combined with an international exchange at the Institut Pasteur, played a defining role in shaping his research trajectory. These formative years not on

Join us for a presentation from HKU-Pasteur's alumnus Dr Jean Millet, INRAE, France. Date : Monday 20 April 2026 Time : 4:30PM Venue : SR2, HKJC Building for Interdisciplinary Research This is a research journey that started right here at HKU-Pasteur studying human coronavirus-host interactions in the pre-pandemic era with international exchange at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. These formative years opened the doors to postdoctoral work in the US at Cornell studying the exci

Date: 12–16 October 2026 Venue: The University of Hong Kong The 7th International Society of Respiratory Viruses (ISRV) School, hosted by the School of Public Health, in collaboration with HKU-Pasteur Research Pole and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute, at The University of Hong Kong, is a 5-day residential school aimed to provide early career scientists and postgraduate students with an intensive, multidisciplinary training on respiratory viruses, includin

We are pleased to welcome Cyrus Liu to the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole. Having been part of The University of Hong Kong throughout his academic journey, Cyrus brings with him a strong and diverse background in biomedical sciences and research support to the administrative team. Cyrus completed his Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences at HKU before pursuing an MPhil in the Department of Microbiology, where he focused on respiratory viruses and vaccinology. He then went on to hold bo

HKU–Pasteur Research Pole is pleased to highlight a new publication co-authored by Dr. Eric Deharo, Co-Director of the Pole, in Nature Health : Honles, J., Cerapio, J.P., Monge, C. et al. Mapping pesticide mixtures to cancer risk at the country scale with spatial exposomics. Nature Health (2026). Published on 1 April 2026, this study led by Stephane BERTANI proposes a new framework for understanding how environmental pesticide exposure may contribute to cancer risk in real-w

Co-Director Eric Deharo travelled to Vientiane to establish the foundations of a new collaborative project to be led by HKU Pasteur’s You Che , focusing on nutritional interventions and microbiome dynamics. During the visit he met with local partners from the Faculty of Pharmacy (Vientiane) , the Pierre Fabre Foundation , the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF ), and the Institut Pasteur du Laos to discuss project design and partnership roles. An opportunity to co

The HKU-Pasteur Research Pole was pleased to host Dr Lukasz Kedzierski , Senior Research Fellow and Group Leader from the University of Melbo urne, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity for a seminar exploring the complex interplay between viral co-infections and immune responses, as well as the mechanism s underlying influenza vaccine failure. Dr Kedzierski’s research sits at the intersection of immunology, virology and translational medicine. His work se

A new publication in Nature Lab Animal from Professor Leo Poon's team demonstrates that the emerging SARS‑CoV‑2 Omicron EG.5 and JN.1 variants induce enhanced pathogenicity in K18‑hACE2 mice, overcoming limitations of early Omicron models and enabling more robust preclinical assessment of vaccines and antivirals. Abstract : The reduced pathogenicity of early SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants in human ACE2-expressing K18-hACE2 mice has posed challenges for assessing vaccine

On Friday 20 March 2026 , the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole , in collaboration with the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macao , hosted a panel discussion entitled “Women in Science: Career Paths, Challenges and Equal Opportunities,” as part of the initiative “Science Talks are Women Talks” marking International Women’s Rights Day . The event brought together members of the academic community, researchers, students, and invited guests for an engaging and thoughtful

We are proud to celebrate Zaolan Liang , PhD student in Professor Sook San Wong’s laboratory at the HKU–Pasteur Research Pole, who has received the HKU Foundation Publication Award 2025 . This distinction recognises her publication: “ A(H2N2) and A(H3N2) influenza pandemics elicited durable cross-reactive and protective antibodies against avian N2 neuraminidases” (Liang et al., Nature Communications , 2024). Her work provides important insights into immune responses to influ

On 12 March 2026, the HKU–Pasteur Research Pole had the pleasure of welcoming a group of outstanding young students for a visit organised with the Hong Kong Laureate Forum (HKLF), as part of the “Exploring New Horizons 2026” programme. The visit began with a welcome and introduction by Dr Wuji Zhang , who presented the mission, research focus, and collaborative environment of HKU–Pasteur Research Pole. This was followed by an engaging Q&A session, during which students had t