- East-West Alliance Meeting, April 14-15, 2007, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Cheung Kung Hai Conference Centre, William MW Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong - Nine institutions that are supported by the Li Ka Shing Foundation for targeted biomedical research programs have convened in the Cheung Kung Hai Conference Centre, HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding declaring their intent to form the East-West Alliance as a global network of health research institutions to develop high-impact research and educational projects, with an aim to meet the health and health services challenges facing all countries including aging populations and emerging infectious diseases, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and others. The Institut Pasteur Paris, one of the founding partners of the East-West Alliance was represented by our CEO, Dr Roberto Bruzzone (visit our photo albums’ page and download the HKU press release. More photos and videos of the lectures are available online). The East-West Alliance is an international network of Asian and Western medical research faculties initiated by the HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine. The Alliance aims to develop high-impact research and educational projects. The initial focus is to establish a global network which can meet the challenges of aging populations and emerging infections that threaten world health. A talk entitled “Confronting the Threat of Avian Flu H5N1” was given by our Scienfific Director, Pr Malik Peiris.
- 1st meeting of the Pasteur Asia Network on Emerging Respiratory Diseases: From Surveillance to Diagnostic, May 9-11, 2007, Lecture Room 2, Cheung Kung Hai Conference Centre, HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, 21 Sassoon Road - RESPARI (Research-driven rESPonse to Acute Respiratory Infections) is an initiative of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes that was established by the Directors of the Pasteur Institutes from the Asia-Pacific region. The main goal of this multicenter program is to tackle several aspects of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) through the implementation of four work-packages: 1. Molecular epidemiology and clinical microbiology; 2. Development of diagnostic tools and surveillance in adults and children; 3. Pathophysiology and therapy development (small chemicals and vaccine); 4. Teaching and training. Each work-package is comprised of different activities that are being developed by the centers within the framework of a general coordination plan. Since the establishment of this program through a Letter of Intention, RESPARI has been able to secure important funds from different sources, including the French Agency for Development, the Department of Human and Health Services of the United States, the Li Ka Shing Foundation and the French Ministry of Health among others. This scientific workshop will provide an update of ongoing activities and promote this initiative among the scientific community. The programme is available on our lectures’ page. The workshop is open to the public to participate.
