LabEx IBEID

Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IBEID)

General concept

The Laboratory of Excellence (LabEx) Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IBEID) gathers outstanding research groups, cutting edge technological platforms, safety laboratories, animal facilities, French health agencies and companies in order to study emerging infectious diseases and actively participate to their control. IBEID addresses the topic of emergence and reemergence of infectious diseases in its most challenging aspects, i.e.: conditions and anticipation of occurrence and transmission, quick identification of etiological agents, molecular mechanisms of infection, bases of the crossing of species barriers, mechanisms of resistance, bases of host defenses and individual variation in susceptibility. To meet these challenges and establish a state of preparedness to unexpected crises, the LabEx intends to strengthen fundamental research in microbiology, virology, mathematic modeling of infections and systems biology of infectious diseases. Among several topics a major effort will be on the study of complex microbial communities and the mechanisms of microbe-microbe and microbe-host communication, new aspects of gene expression and regulation, mechanisms of microbial resistance to drugs, the mechanisms of viral diversification favoring emergence from the animal world, the immune response and the genetic basis of its regulation in response to pathogens. The LabEx aims to offer to the medical and scientific community engaged in the surveillance and control of emerging infections a "reference tool", that will provide research-based solutions in the key areas of epidemiology, diagnostics, therapeutics and prevention. The LabEx will therefore be positioned at the heart of a network that might, at any time, connect with: (i) The health authorities and institutions, both in the industrialized and developing world (including the National Reference Centers, the "Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur" and international organizations such as the European Center for Disease Control and WHO. (ii) Hospitals, which permanently face infectious emergences. (iii) The world of the pharmaceutical and vaccine industry.

Participating groups

The LabEx core group is hosted on the Institut Pasteur campus with partners at Institut Cochin, Hôpital Necker and Hôpital Georges Pompidou in Paris. This strong scientific coalition focused on emerging infections is embedded in a network of institutions that are on the frontline of surveillance, analysis and control of emerging infectious diseases. Indeed strong partnerships have been established with Institut National de Veille Sanitaire (InVS) in charge of infectious diseases surveillance and prevention in France, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Maisons-Alfort (ENVA) and Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Alimentation, de l’Environnement et du Travail (ANSES) that focuses on infections in the animal world, including understanding how pathogens breach host species barriers. Last but not least, major French Pharmaceutical companies, Sanofi and bioMérieux, team up as partners of the LabEx with the shared vision that only excellent basic research can lead to the significant discoveries that can be translated into to R & D. The LabEx also explores new frontiers with companies like Danone on preventive functional nutrition in relation to induced changes in the microbiota.

IBEID opportunities

To strengthen the IBEID consortium in the field of infectious diseases , 2 new units and five new 5-year groups (G5) will be created.