Australia-France Mycobacterial Research Network

The mycobacterial research capacity in Australia does very well at investigating immunity, vaccines, and new antibiotics. The Kremmer laboratory at IRIM (CNRS) in Montpellier is a world leading microbiology laboratory. This initiative aims at capitalising on the respective expertise available in both countries and should lead to the creation of a collaborative network fostering research projects and personnel exchanges.

This initiative proposes to introduce French researchers from IRIM to the hub of mycobacterial researchers at the University of Sydney (primarily centred at the Centenary Institute), where a national symposium will be held at the Centenary Institute bringing in researchers from Queensland and Melbourne to facilitate the transfer of intellectual expertise in techniques and planning of researcher exchange. The expected attendance from an Australian contingent is up to 120 researchers representing approximately 15 research groups across the three states.

French researchers will then spend additional time at the University of Sydney to plan collaborative experiments in Australian infection models. As well as having complementary research strengths (microbiology in France, immunology in Australia), our groups use a range of complementary models from pure bacterial culture, cell culture, zebrafish infection models, mouse inhalation models, to sheep and cow infection models.

This initiative will hopefully lead to a structured collaboration with a growing French-Australian network, fostering joint publications, exchange and joint grant applications, in a field of major importance for both public health and economy, but also with great opportunities to develop new knowledge in basic biology and technologies arising from trying to understand how these bacteria cause disease.

Contact: Stefan Oehlers (s.oehlers@centenary.org.au)