On June 5, the Institut Pasteur (Paris) and Institut Pasteur Korea co-organized a joint symposium entitled "Crossroads of Basic and Translational Research in Biomedical Science," supported by the French Embassy in Korea in connection with the celebrations marking 140 years of diplomatic relations between France and Korea. The event was held in honor of the signing of a cooperation agreement between the two institutions aimed at modernizing their association and strengthening research partnerships.

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On June 5, the joint symposium "Crossroads of Basic and Translational Research in Biomedical Science" was held in Seoul, Korea. A major delegation of scientists from the Institut Pasteur traveled to Seoul to meet their Korean counterparts and discuss progress in vaccine development, especially via the RNA messenger platform, as well as how technological innovation and translational research are leading to new therapeutic solutions. The two keynote lectures focused on the links between infection and aging with Prof. Carla Saleh (Institut Pasteur) and the RNA messenger platform with Prof. Narry Kim (Institute for Basic Science). A closing session was also held on equity, diversity and inclusion to discuss the consequences of a lack of diversity in research.

A strong, lasting bilateral agreement with Korea

The new cooperation agreement signed by the Institut Pasteur (Paris) and Institut Pasteur Korea on the margins of the symposium reaffirms the commitment of the two institutions to work together in the fields of research and development, technological innovation and teaching. The agreement includes a roadmap for collaboration in these fields and provides for the establishment of a Scientific Liaison Committee with three scientists from each institute, aimed at formalizing existing research partnerships.

One of the joint projects developed between the Institut Pasteur (Paris) and Institut Pasteur Korea over the past five years is the "Artificial intelligence for image-based discovery" (Ai3D) Pasteur International Unit (PIU).The project team, composed of Dr. Soojin Jang in Korea and Dr. Ivo Gomperts Boneca and Prof. Christophe Zimmer at the Institut Pasteur (Paris), has now secured ANR-NRF France-Korea research funding on artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnologies for the development of a new project entitled "A-IMPACT – Development of Next-Generation Antibiotics Integrating AI-Driven Design with Target Specificity, Permeability, and Synthetic Accessibility."

Testimonials

Feedback from Ivo Gomperts Boneca, Christophe Zimmer and Nathalie Aulner, all three of whom worked with Institut Pasteur Korea on the "Artificial intelligence for image-based discovery" (Ai3D) PIU:
 

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"My team's current research into new antibiotics began following interactions with the teams at IP Korea.
The Ai3D Pasteur International Unit was an initiative of Spencer Shorte, who was Scientific Director of Institut Pasteur Korea at that time and recognized the need to use AI to analyze the imaging data produced by IPK for more than 15 years. The discussions we had in Korea, especially with the team led by Soojin Jang, were the starting point for my interest in antibiotic research using AI methods applied to high-throughput imaging.
We are now pursuing our research in this area with several Institut Pasteur teams, including those led by Ivo Gomperts Boneca (especially in connection with the ERC AI4AMR project) and Anne-Marie Wehenkel (as part of a PTR project). The A-IMPACT project, which involves Soojin Jang, Ivo Gomperts Boneca, Olivier Sperandio and my team, is a continuation of this work."

Chistophe Zimmer

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"We have gone from a Pasteur International Unit to an international ecosystem based on artificial intelligence.
My participation in the Pasteur International Unit came about through a project on bacterial morphology developed in Paris with Nathalie Aulner in 2014. This was followed by a sabbatical at IP Korea in 2018 to pursue a collaboration with Régis Grailhe. While I was at IP Korea, Spencer Shorte, who had recently been appointed as Scientific Director, invited me to co-create the Ai3D PIU following discussions on bacterial morphology and novel therapeutic targets.
The IP-IPK Scientific Committee, of which I am a member, will further strengthen these interactions, which have already seen the development of a PTR, an ERC Synergy Grant and collaboration with Montreal. The AI-IMPACT project is a result of these many years of collaboration."

Ivo Gomperts Boneca

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"The Photonic BioImaging (PBI) core facility served as a platform for scientists from France and Korea to exchange information and methods related to the project.
My role in the Ai3D Pasteur International Unit was to train IPK teams on the application of AI to imaging, and to liaise between the teams in Paris and Korea on how the project was progressing. As well as strengthening links between the Institut Pasteur and IPK, the project also improved our internal working methods at the Institut Pasteur in this area. The IP-IPK Scientific Liaison Committee, of which I am a member, is an opportunity for me to encourage other scientists on campus to collaborate with IPK, based on the scientific priorities of the two institutes and also on existing synergies between our teams in Paris and the teams in Korea."

Nathalie Aulner

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Photo credits: Institut Pasteur Korea and Institut Pasteur / Mathilde Boisserin for the portrait photos