The establishment of an international network of laboratories, the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratories, are at the heart of its action.
Under the patronage of His Excellency General Michel Sleiman, President of the Lebanese Republic, the new Campus for Innovation and Sport at Saint Joseph University was inaugurated on 13 May in Beirut.
This campus houses the Health Technology Centre and the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory.
Composed of two P2 laboratories and one P3 laboratory, the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Beirut responds to an urgent need in infectiology in Lebanon and in the region.
The activities in the laboratory will be of two types:
- Research projects related to the GABRIEL network programmes;
- Projects of scientific interest for Lebanon and the region:
- Monitoring pathogens and bacterial resistance to antibiotics in Lebanon;
- Study of genetic support on the resistance of the most common types of bacteria found in Lebanon;
- Study of the activity of new antibacterial molecules, participation in international trials;
- Development of new molecular techniques for the diagnosis and research of pathogens and medicine contaminants, health products, cosmetics and foodstuffs. Example: DNA chip for marketing;
- Develop basic and applied research in vaccines;
- Immunology and immunotherapy: preparation of antibodies and recombinant proteins with therapeutic and diagnostic objectives.
Located at the heart of infected areas in developing countries, the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratories are designed to meet local infectious priorities by developing clinical studies or molecular and medical biology research.