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The MOU purports to promote research and technological cooperation, and assist in the identification of opportunities to collaborate on research projects and themes.

The Institut Pasteur Korea is based in Seoul and was established in 2004. Like the Doherty Institute, it is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases through biological research, education and public health activities. The Institut is also actively acquiring and developing state-of-the-art technologies and data sets to help realise these goals.

Doherty Institute Director, Professor Sharon Lewin, recently visited the Institut Pasteur Korea, participating in an MoU signing ceremony to finalise the agreement.

“The mission of the Institut Pasteur Korea aligns perfectly with the Doherty Institute’s vision of improving health globally through discovery research and the prevention, treatment and cure of infectious diseases,” Professor Lewin said.

“Formalising this partnership will enable closer collaboration and unfettered communication between our teams and give us access to their unique strengths.”

One of these strengths is drug discovery, including using a level three laboratory to screen an infected cell-line for drug activity.

“This is a technique, which I’m not aware exists in Australia,” Professor Lewin said.

While the Doherty Institute already has an overarching agreement with the French based-Institut Pasteur, incorporating their entire international network of research centres, this new MOU specific to Institut Pasteur Korea will allow for more direct collaboration and enhance the relationship between researchers at both organisations. 

The MOU came into effect on Tuesday, 16 October.