Open discussion during the symposium day: what role and impact can the GABRIEL network have in the event of an epidemic?
The three-day GABRIEL meeting enables participants to present and discuss the results of their collaborative research, and design new projects within the network.
This year, a symposium on emerging diseases and epidemics was held on the first day to discuss three key themes:
- Methods for predicting and detecting the emergence of pathogens and epidemics
- Factors contributing to the emergence of infectious diseases
- Clinical research in the context of emerging diseases
A number of interesting presentations were given. These included presentations by Dr. Albert Bosch of the University of Barcelona, Spain, on the surveillance of infectious diseases linked to wastewater, Dr. Serge Morand of IRL HealthDEEP – CNRS, Thailand, on the impact of biodiversity disruption on the transmission of infectious diseases, and Dr. Souha Kanj of the American University of Beirut Medical Center, Lebanon, on emerging diseases in displaced populations. Participants were also able to discover the results of research projects carried out by their peers at a scientific poster exhibition.
This international meeting is a unique opportunity for scientists to get together, providing them with the ideal conditions to share information and drive forward the network’s dynamics. One session of the symposium was devoted to discussing the role and impact of the GABRIEL Network in the event of an epidemic. Participants discussed the network’s main strengths and weaknesses, and its ability to respond to new public health challenges.
Ashabul Islam receiving the Young Scientist Award”
Chaired by the Mérieux Foundation experts on these programs, the second and third days were devoted to the scientific themes developed within the GABRIEL network: tuberculosis, acute respiratory diseases, antimicrobial resistance and emerging pathogens.
Finally, the “GABRIEL Prize for Young Researchers”, created to support the career development of promising young scientists in the network, was awarded on this occasion to two researchers:
- ISLAM, Ashabul (icddr,b Bangladesh): Innovating Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis Care with RISK6 Transcriptomic Signature: Diagnosis and Treatment Monitoring
- HASAN, Mahin (ideSHi, Bangladesh): Genomic characterization of Streptococcus pneumoniae from pediatric patients reveals high prevalence of Macrolide-Resistant non-PCV10 serotypes in Bangladesh
Organized every 18 months, this year’s GABRIEL International Meeting was supported by the French Embassy in Brazil, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, ANRS-MIE and bioMérieux.
About the GABRIEL network
The GABRIEL network was created by the Mérieux Foundation in 2008, and today boasts 22 member laboratories in 16 countries. The network brings together Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratories, local reference laboratories and academic, university and hospital research institutes. This international scientific network works in synergy to develop the research and training capacities of local laboratories and improve the surveillance of diseases with a major impact on public health in developing countries.
Networking is essential for accelerating innovation and discovery. By collaborating through networks, knowledge, skills and resources are pooled to solve complex problems more quickly. This collective work improves the quality of research, broadens perspectives and fosters scientific advances that benefit society as a whole. Networks also enhance the impact of research by facilitating the dissemination of results and attracting new partners.