Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The study conducted by the Institut Pasteur identified three probable cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in three primary schools in Crépy-en-Valois before the schools closed for the February vacation and then for the lockdown in Crépy-en-Valois But there was no secondary transmission of the virus to other children at the school Most of the children were infected by their family members The results are reassuring in view of the reopening of primary schools but they need to be confirmed by other studies in a school environment A previous study by the same authors at the high school in Crépy-en-Valois demonstrated that a much higher proportion of high school students were infected during the February outbreak and that teachers and other school staff were also affected by the outbreak the results of this study are comparable to those of studies carried out in other countries which suggest that children aged between 6 and 11 are generally infected in a family environment rather than at school The main new finding is that the infected children did not spread the virus to other children or to teachers or other school staff These results need to be confirmed by other studies given the low number of introductions of the virus in the schools under study," commented Arnaud Fontanet Head of the Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases Unit at the Institut Pasteur and a Professor at the CNAM the willingness of the people of Crépy-en-Valois to take part in this study gave us the opportunity to further our knowledge about the virus so that we can be as well prepared as possible for children to return to school," continues Arnaud Fontanet "The study also confirmed that younger children infected by the novel coronavirus generally do not develop symptoms or present with minor symptoms that may result in a failure to diagnose the virus The highly characteristic signs of loss of taste and smell were not observed at all in children under the age of 15 despite being experienced by half of the adults," adds Bruno Hoen last author of the study and Medical Research Director at the Institut Pasteur This research was entirely funded by the Institut Pasteur and carried out in cooperation with French health authorities SARS-CoV-2 infection in primary schools in northern France: A retrospective cohort study in an area of high transmission, April 15th, Eurosurveillance Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 7 ICAReB platform (Clinical Investigation & Access to Research Bioresources) of the Center for translational Science 11Unité de Virologie Moléculaire et Vaccinologie SEND THE PRESS OFFICE AN EMAIL You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed As schools around the world prepare to reopen new scientific evidence about children and coronavirus is coming to light the French epidemiologist Arnaud Fontanet found himself leading an investigation in the town of Crépy-en-Valois a small community of 15,000 inhabitants just to the north-east of Paris the town’s middle and high schools had become the centre of a new outbreak of Covid-19 Fontanet and colleagues from the Pasteur Institute in Paris were tasked with conducting antibody testing across Crépy-en-Valois to understand the extent to which the virus had been circulating. As they surveyed the town, they noted an interesting pattern. While the virus had spread rampantly through the high school along with 43% of teachers and 59% of non-teaching staff the same was not true for the town’s six primary schools While three primary-age pupils had caught Covid-19 in early February none of these infections had led to a secondary case 7% of teachers and 4% of non-teaching staff had been infected with the virus “These results showed us that teenagers are just as contagious as adults,” said Fontanet They do not seem to transmit it to the same extent.” A pupil in Montevideo, Uruguay, during the first phase of the country’s gradual reopening of schools. Photograph: Getty ImagesSimilar findings have emerged elsewhere. A new epidemiological study of 65,000 people in South Korea which traced contacts of people infected between late January and late March has revealed that while children aged 10-19 can spread the virus just as well as adults those younger than 10 transmit it to others much less often “It looks like children overall have a transmission efficiency of about 50% of adults although that varies dramatically across age groups,” says Susan Coffin an infectious disease physician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia the transmission efficiency begins to approach that of adults.” There are worries that masks could lead to behavioural problemsPotential reasons for this abound Some have suggested that young children have a lower viral load than teenagers and adults – although the evidence for this remains somewhat unclear – or that they exhale less air so reducing their chances of passing on the virus “This means they may be less likely to have a cough, and so release smaller amounts of virus into the environment,” explains Zoë Hyde, an epidemiologist at the University of Western Australia. This all suggests that when it comes to the delicate process of working out the best ways to reopen schools en masse while protecting the local community, the biggest need for stringent precautions such as testing, social distancing and masks will be at secondary level. Read moreBetween April and early June, about 20 countries – from the UK to South Africa – tentatively began to reopen schools While this experiment had a few failures – China South Korea and Israel all had to shut some schools again after new outbreaks – it also yielded a number of interesting patterns to learn from ahead of more large-scale openings this autumn Different nations have applied different strategies to their schools as a means of keeping the virus at bay from compulsory daily temperature readings in Vietnam co-director at Brookings Center for Universal Education in Washington has been monitoring these various approaches she says that a combination of keeping class sizes small and asking older children to wear masks and socially distance appears to be the most effective way of keeping schools and communities safe The former strategy has been used effectively over the past few months in Finland and Denmark Large classes have been broken up into smaller pods of 15 to 20 students who are taught separately and allowed to congregate in the playground where the open air reduces the likelihood of virus transmission “Having the pods means that if one person gets infected you don’t have to quarantine the entire school,” says Vegas “It also makes contact tracing much easier when cases occur.” some policymakers have introduced exceptions for those below a certain age masks are compulsory for secondary school students but optional for younger children; in France day centres have abandoned all distancing rules for those under five Given the precautions being taken around school reopenings, it is easy to forget that children are less affected by Covid-19 than adults, accounting for an estimated 2% of confirmed cases This is odd given that, for most respiratory viruses, young children are typically infected far more easily than adults due to their lack of pre-existing immunity. But this pattern was also seen during the original Sars outbreak in 2003 Less than 10% of those diagnosed with Sars were children and only 5% of children infected required intensive care One possible biological explanation is that the ACE2 receptor – the keyhole that both the Sars-CoV and Sars-CoV-2 viruses use to invade the cells of the lungs – is developmentally regulated you have very low concentrations of this protein making it more difficult for the virus to bind to the respiratory surface,” says Coffin the concentration of this protein increases.” Another theory is that in the case of Sars and Covid-19 children have ironically been protected by the fact that they have less developed immune systems Many of the fatalities in adults have occurred due to an excessively strong immune reaction known as a cytokine storm Some think that past exposure to other coronaviruses decades earlier may cause the adult immune system to produce antibodies to target a previous threat This is a phenomenon known as original antigenic sin and has been seen in other infectious diseases such as dengue fever A simulation of the new teaching setup in the Nassa school Photograph: Dasril Roszandi/Zuma Wire/Rex/ShutterstockBut there are still a very small number of children who become severely ill as a result of Covid-19 children around the world have been reported with a condition known as multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) This affects the heart and other major organs in the body Petter Brodin, a paediatrics specialist at the Karolinska University hospital in Sweden, has been studying a series of children with MIS-C over the past couple of months in an attempt to understand why it develops Because the symptoms of MIS-C typically begin four to six weeks after the initial infection long after the Sars-CoV-2 virus has left the child’s body he believes that the immune response gradually malfunctions The antibodies originally produced to target the virus’s proteins instead cross-react with proteins on the surfaces of various organ systems Scientists still do not understand why this only occurs in certain children but Brodin believes that part of the puzzle is because Covid-19 is a completely new disease one which the developing immune system is not always prepared to deal with causing this extreme reaction in a small proportion of cases “This virus is very much widespread at the moment and it’s not every day that a new virus comes up and starts spreading in a population,” he says “Maybe if a new flu virus strain which was completely different from anything else emerged and began spreading While both place emphasis on the importance of creating “bubbles” within classes and encouraging social distancing in the classroom between older students much is left to the judgment of individual schools A staff member takes a child’s temperature at the Harris Primary Academy Shortlands school Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesKamlesh Khunti professor of vascular medicine at the University of Leicester and a member of the Independent Sage panel has suggested that UK schools should follow the example of some of the Nordic nations the average class sizes were around 20 students prior to Covid-19 but now they are dividing classes into two to three smaller groups,” he said “They have recommended pupils sit six feet apart and wash hands every two hours.” Public Health England does not recommend the use of face coverings in schools even at secondary level despite the evidence suggesting that older children are at greater risk of transmitting Covid-19 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US have recently published recommendations that all children should wear face coverings in schools except those under two years old “There is very little evidence on the use of face masks in schools children should be encouraged to wear face coverings while the population levels of positive cases are high,” says Khunti wearing masks in schools is widely accepted and even worn during the flu season.” This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Two brothers named as suspects in the attack on the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo are reported to have robbed a petrol station in northern France reportedly robbed at a petrol station near Villers-Cotterets The two men were said to be in a grey Renault Clio with weapons in the back They fired shots and stole food and petrol the men apparently abandoned their car and fled into a forest mayor of neighbouring Crepy-en-Valois said that helicopters were circling his town and police and anti-terrorism forces have since deployed en masse La station service de l’Aisne ou les suspects auraient été repérés a été bouclée #AFP pic.twitter.com/hPMtFQofFN Earlier police said the two brothers were armed and dangerous The attack on the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo was the worst terrorist attack carried out in the country for half a century Twelve people were killed and 11 more injured before the attackers sped away from Paris in a second getaway car Police surrounded the city of Reims during the night and stormed blocks of flats One of the suspects had apparently been identified by an identity card left in the first getaway car AFP reported that molotov cocktails and jihadist flags were found in the abandoned Citroen Police prosecutors said a third suspect – named as 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad – had turned himself in to police at a station in Charleville-Mézières a small town near France’s border with Belgium Nine people were in custody on Thursday evening in relation to the Charlie Hebdo attacks France remains on its highest level of alert after the attack MI5’s spy chief Andrew Parker says the agency is providing “full support” to their French counterparts in the hunt for the gunmen and the jihadi terrorist organisations behind the massacre In a late addition to a planned speech tonight MI5’s director general says: “It’s too early for us to come to judgements about the precise details or origin of the attack but it is a terrible reminder of the intentions of those who wish to harm us we are offering our French colleagues our full support as they respond” Charlie Hebdo has angered muslims in the past after printing cartoons depicting the prohet Muhammad Its offices were targeted in a 2011 arson attack and editor-in-chief Stephanie Charbonnier was included in an al-Qaeda wanted list published in 2013 The attack appeared to have been carefully planned and happened when an editorial meeting was taking place meaning more staff members than usual were in the office Workers elsewhere in the building fled to the roof as the attack took place Récit glaçant de l’attaque de #CharlieHebdo. Par @soren_seelow http://t.co/uHcFdS0aWe #JeSuisCharlie pic.twitter.com/y1YQqIDzyw One witness said he had heard 40-50 gunshots before seeing two people fleeing in a Citroen C1 The first image from inside the office after the shooting was posted on Twitter showing blood spattered along a hallway and on papers strewn on the floor Graphic video footage was posted online showing two men dressed in black shooting and injuring a police officer in the street before running over to shoot the officer dead on the pavement The two men then return to a black Citroen stopped in the road before speeding away After the attack, vigils were held in cities across Europe in a tribute to those killed in the attacks France is holding a day of mourning with flags lowered to half-mast across the country People gathered for a minute’s silence outside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris The pencil #charliehebdo France’s weapon of mass creation in defiance of Islamic extremism pic.twitter.com/5NMLJeas1A #JeSuisCharlie au siège de l’AFP à Paris pic.twitter.com/VwIV05F1Ve You don't have permission to access the page you requested. What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed. Man’s relationship with space inspires the work of photographer Sebastien Lebrigand. Man has been fascinated by space since time immemorial. The sight of the stars inspired monumental Aztec cities, the dreamy brushstrokes of Vincent van Gogh, and the prose of Robert Frost. So it is unsurprising that it has also inspired photographers to tilt their lenses to the sky. When Apollo 11 landed on the moon in July of 1969, two worlds connected. This, says Sebastien Lebrigand, is the concept behind his work: man’s relationship with space, captured in a single frame. An airplane leaves a trail of exhaust in its wake against the bright yellow sun. The 41-year-old electrician spends his evenings looking up at the sky from his garden in Crépy-en-Valois, France, where he’s studied airplane corridors for four years. Lebrigand uses a 600mm refractor lens and Canon 6D to capture the precise moment when airplanes fly past the sun and moon. Lebrigand uses a 600mm refractor lens with his Canon 6D to capture his detailed photos. Because optimal conditions are rare, Lebrigand is only able to take one or two photos per month. The window of opportunity is fleeting, so if the shot is out of focus or the ISO is off, you’re out of luck, he says. His advice to other astrophotographers? “Patience and a minimum focal length of 500mm.” Although Lebrigand spends a lot of his time watching the horizon, he says space travel is not in his future. He prefers the view from Earth. Watch your inbox over the next few days for photos captured in mistnet on the outskirts of Wanang village their jelly matrix will limit ventilation to the egg masses starving out especially dense eggs like this (La Jolla Castor canadensis."},"title":"Where does vanilla flavoring come from The silken case itself is visible with the greyish material (a mix of caterpillar saliva and silk) the first black man to make it to the top of the country and western music field From Twenty Hand-Coloured Prints after Original Paintings of Famous American Thoroughbreds by Edward Troye (1808–1874) image: 11 3/8 x 14 15/16 in.","ttl":"2B0GHKP.jpg"},"title":"The life of Lexington used to make tequila on the grounds of the Fortaleza Tequila Distillery."},"title":"Visit Jalisco The Haenyeo make a living out of harvesting the sea floor catching conch They freedive to depths of 20 meters and hold their breath for minutes But the Haenyoe is an endangered 'species' the sea was abundant with them – around 30.000 of them would take to the sea almost daily they hardly number 5000 and more than two-thirds are over 60 years old Here are a few experts love."}],"topicName":"Lifestyle"},"rightpromo":{"id":"2c88edf9-e45c-48a7-a57e-3c8667c53fbc","cmsType":"TileGridModule","tiles":{"id":"drn:src:natgeo:unison::prod:441fde9e-010c-4a0c-a09d-296ee7cb9690","href":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/lifestyle/article/best-compact-cameras","cmsType":"ArticleNavTile","ratio":"4x3","title":"The 10 best compact cameras for travel The sight of the stars inspired monumental Aztec cities the dreamy brushstrokes of Vincent van Gogh So it is unsurprising that it has also inspired photographers to tilt their lenses to the sky."},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html1","cntnt":{"mrkup":"When Apollo 11 landed on the moon in July of 1969 is the concept behind his work: man’s relationship with space where he’s studied airplane corridors for four years Lebrigand is only able to take one or two photos per month so if the shot is out of focus or the ISO is off “Patience and a minimum focal length of 500mm.”"},"type":"p","style":{}},{"id":"html4","cntnt":{"mrkup":"Although Lebrigand spends a lot of his time watching the horizon Lebrigand captures the underbelly of an airplane as it jets past the moon A plane is silhouetted against the glowing sun A CityJet sweeps across the cobalt sky and a waxing moon An airplane rockets past the the cratered surface of the moon An airplane leaves a trail of exhaust in its wake against the bright yellow sun Lebrigand uses a 600mm refractor lens with his Canon 6D to capture his detailed photos An illustration of NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft above the surface of Europa and in front of Jupiter Earth Moon Conjunction image created during Galileo second flyby airlines have began introducing seat selection policies to provide travellers with information on who they might sit next to Key facts to emerge after arrests made following Wednesday’s attack at the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo A video summary of the key facts GuardianCharlie Hebdo attack This article is more than 10 years oldCharlie Hebdo attack: what we know so farThis article is more than 10 years oldKey facts to emerge after arrests made following Wednesday’s attack at the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo Twelve people were killed when two masked gunmen opened fire in the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo at 11.30 on Wednesday morning – nine journalists with the magazine a building maintenance worker and two police officers calling a friend and telling him: “Call the police Charlie Hebdo plans to publish a 1m print run for Charlie Hebdo next week after cartoonists and newspapers around the world pledged financial and practical support Google has announced it will donate £250,000 to to ensure publication A minute’s silence was led by the French persident, François Hollande, at noon on Thursday which Hollande had declared a national day of mourning Flags will fly at half mast for three days Crowds gathered outside Notre Dame cathedral in central Paris as staff and representatives at Élysée Palace observed the silence along with those at the UK parliament in London and European parliament in Brussels A number of media organisations also observed the silence said on Thursday morning there had been several arrests overnight in the hunt for two suspects All are linked with the two men on the run Police released the names on Wednesday night of three suspects including pictures of the Kouachi brothers who are French nationals of Algerian origin A vast manhunt continues to find the two men who are considered to be armed and dangerous It was reported he went to police after learning his name was linked to the attacks in the news and social media said Paris prosecutor’s spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre She did not specify his relationship with the Kouachi brothers Friends of the teenager were reported to have said he was in school at the time of the shootings A police source told Reuters one of the suspects had been identified by his identity card Chérif Kouachi was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 after being convicted of terrorism charges for helping funnel fighters to Iraq’s insurgency He said at the time he was outraged at the torture of Iraqi prisoners at the US jail at Abu Ghraib During the attack witnesses described hearing the attackers shout “Allahu akbar” and “We have avenged the prophet” Two witnesses said the suspects claimed to be from al-Qaida a group also known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula Witnesses described the gunmen as calm and professional They held their weapons in a way which suggested they had some form of military training although when they arrived at the building they were unsure where to go and what stairwell and floor the offices were on They forced a female cartoonist to key in the building’s entry code and stormed in to at least two other offices sharing the block demanding to know the whereabouts of Charlie Hebdo Once in the Charlie Hebdo newsroom they asked for staff members by name The attackers escaped the magazine’s offices in a side street off the Boulevard Richard-Lenoir in a car and exchanged fire with police as they fled They abandoned the car in the 19th arrondissement France has raised its terror alert system to the maximum and bolstered security with more than 800 extra soldiers to guard media offices Some of the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack: (clockwise from top left) Photograph: Guim The 12 victims of the attack have been identified They are: Charb – whose real name was Stéphane Charbonnier artist and publisher of Charlie Hebdo; Cabu – whose real name was Jean Cabut who was honoured with the Légion d’honneur in 2005; Georges Wolinski – Tunisian-born artist who had been drawing cartoons since the 1960s a satirical magazine considered a forerunner to Charlie Hebdo; Tignous – whose real name was Bernard Verlhac was a member of a group of artists called Cartoonists for Peace; Bernard Maris – known as “Uncle Bernard” was an economist and wrote a regular column for Charlie Hebdo; Philippe Honoré a cartoonist who had worked for Charlie Hebdo since 1992 and drew the last cartoon tweeted by the weekly only moments before the massacre; Michel Renaud – a former journalist and political staffer who founded a cultural festival who was visiting the Charlie Hebdo offices from Clermont-Ferrard; Mustapha Ourrad – a copy editor for Charlie Hebdo of Algerian descent; Elsa Cayat – Charlie Hebdo analyst and columnist; Frederic Boisseau – building maintenance worker; Franck Brinsolaro – 49-year-old police officer appointed to head security for Charb and father of a one-year-old girl; Ahmed Merabet – 42 a French Muslim police officer and member of the 11th arrondissement brigade About 15,000 people take part in a vigil in Lyon Photograph: Inediz/Inediz/Demotix/Corbis Large spontaneous gatherings materialised in public squares across France on Wednesday evening to condemn the attacks and pay tribute to the victims Charlie Hebdo has been the subject of violent attacks in the past following its publication of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad and recent threats have also been made against it and other media groups Riot police were deployed to its offices in 2012 after it published more Muhammad cartoons escaped the attack because he was in London He expressed his shock and said the magazine had had no specific threats of violence “A newspaper is not a weapon of war,” he said The Institut Pasteur is one of the world's leading centers for research on infectious diseases This area is therefore one of the priority research areas of its 2019-2023 strategic plan a 'coronavirus task force' was set up to respond to the urgency of this health crisis by studying the virus and the disease it causes - the task force was created at a time when the 11 million inhabitants of Wuhan (China) are 'locked down' - Here is a report summarizing the events and reviewing the Institut Pasteur's main action The information in this report is dated from December 31 the China Country Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) was informed that clustered cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology had been detected in the city of Wuhan the Chinese health authorities and WHO announced the discovery of a novel coronavirus thought to have emerged in Wuhan in December 2019 The date of emergence of the virus in China was subsequently called into question was identified as the agent responsible for a new infectious respiratory disease subsequently named COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) This officially marked the start of an epidemic that would rapidly spread across the globe and would be classified as a pandemic by WHO on March 11 The Institut Pasteur found itself on the front line of the response in France from the very start of the epidemic The Institut Pasteur hosts several National Reference Centers (CNRs) designated by the French General Directorate of Health and Santé publique France which are responsible for monitoring various infectious diseases These include the CNR for Respiratory Infection Viruses (including Influenza) monitoring and analyzing cases of COVID-19 in mainland France as soon as the first cases were suspected The Laboratory for Urgent Response to Biological Threats (CIBU) set up in 2001 by the Institut Pasteur with the support of the General Directorate of Health so that it could intervene 24/7 in the event of an outbreak was immediately mobilized to strengthen the work of the CNR The first suspected cases in France were identified on January 24 and the samples taken from these patients were analyzed by the CNR which confirmed infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that by now was sweeping through China based on the sequence that Chinese scientists had shared with the international scientific community The Institut Pasteur is a leading global center for infectious disease research one of the priority research areas identified in its 2019-2023 Strategic Plan as the 11 million inhabitants of the Chinese city of Wuhan the Institut Pasteur set up a task force to provide an emergency response to the health crisis by studying the virus and the disease it causes The task force continues to draw on the expertise of Institut Pasteur scientists in several research fields: Around 20 research projects were launched in late January and 89 projects in total over the whole of 2020 This document was first completed between November and December 2020 and subsequently finalized in January 2021 in the current unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic Continuing and untiring efforts to fight SARS-CoV-2 result in a workload increase for many Institut Pasteur teams We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to all contributors for their commitment in these challenging times and to the readers of this "COVID-19 special" for their understanding when reading these pages we were ready to share the fruits of the Institut Pasteur's mobilization in 2020 against Covid-19 The document you are reading has been prepared since last november by our teams the Pasteur Institute had to take a serious decision with sadness and responsibility: to interrupt one of its programmes of candidate vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 Interim Phase I clinical trial results were half-toned It was the only scientific decision to be taken We started to communicate our results at the end of January but I wanted to take over the a few days after the event as a reminder that modesty and perseverance are virtues They have also been Pasteurian values for more than 130 years We are therefore pursuing with determination the development of other candidate vaccines that arrived in end of the pre-clinical phase and maintaining our mobilization to fight the Covid-19 epidemic Because we have done a great deal of work in terms of diagnosis to identify patients or of basic research to understand the virus it was important for us to remained united and committed I was both impressed and extremely touched by the incredible resilience of citizens in France and worldwide as they were confronted with this very brutal epidemic I was also impressed by the solidarity and generosity shown by each and every individual many of whom went out of their way to make masks help isolated neighbors and show their support for research and scientists in sometimes difficult working conditions – as was the case for everyone – the Institut Pasteur carried out extensive research on COVID-19 and the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes the disease with the support of its partners from hospitals I would like to thank in particular the caregivers who have been at our side for the many clinical studies launched in 2020 we have been responsive and have initiated a very large number of projects Stewart ColePresident of the Institut Pasteur (Paris) Our experts in many disciplines are helping to provide answers to this serious health crisis and some research will be pursued over the long term the National Reference Center (CNR) for Respiratory Infection Viruses which has the general task of monitoring infectious diseases developed a direct detection test for the coronavirus using a molecular biology method known as RT-qPCR This test was used to diagnose the first patients in France and was then rolled out in hospitals serving as a benchmark for the development of other PCR tests in France the Institut Pasteur also developed an RT-LAMP test for rapid diagnosis in 10 to 30 minutes See Progress in diagnostics and epidemiological genomics Voir The Institut Pasteur's historic mission is to fight emerging infectious diseases and make its innovations accessible to the entire world population like the one performed by the Institut Pasteur in early 2020 on around a hundred patient genomes help scientists to understand and describe how a virus is introduced in a geographic region (such as France) The Institut Pasteur also developed various serological assays which detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the blood and determine whether an individual has been infected by the virus in the preceding weeks These serological assays are used to map the spread of the virus in the population via seroprevalence studies in a given region (in Crépy-en-Valois among hospital/non-hospital staff from the Institut Curie and the Institut Pasteur in the Curie-O-SA study) See « The Institut Pasteur was actively involved in Crépy-en-Valois, with Inserm, in two epidemiological studies carried out by Santé publique France. » How can we best predict the evolution of the epidemic situation How can we anticipate the admission of severely ill patients to hospital Drawing on its expertise in the mathematical modeling of infectious diseases the Institut Pasteur developed tools to analyze the spread of the epidemic in real time The data are regularly updated to improve the accuracy of possible evolutionary scenarios See Progress in epidemiology and modeling Nearly a hundred research projects were launched over the year to shed light on the biology and structure of the SARS-CoV-2 virus the inflammation and neurological signs it causes the immune response triggered and any potential genetic susceptibility See Improving understanding of the biology of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 The Institut Pasteur launched several studies – searching for molecules involved in the key stages of the viral cycle identifying those that target essential cell functions conducting clinical trials and demonstrating the antiviral action of drugs already on the market – and set up a group to assess antiviral strategies See Avenues for therapeutic approaches Two research programs for vaccine candidates entered preclinical development in 2020 and are continuing in 2021: one vaccine using a lentiviral vector and one DNA vaccine.The Institut Pasteur has decided not to pursue the clinical development of its vaccine candidate based on the measles platform despite the Phase I clinical trials carried out on the vaccine last August as the immune responses induced were not strong enough.The scientists involved in the program will analyze the results obtained in more detail to try to understand why this was the case.They will make further research proposals some of which may be based on the same platform See"Vaccine strategies" and Read the press release of january 25 2021 the Institut Pasteur sequenced the whole genome of SARS-CoV-2 it deposited the complete sequences of the virus samples taken from two of the first French cases on the GISAID (Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data) platform This transfer of information between scientists helps the international community to understand more about the evolution and spread of viruses the Institut Pasteur has contributed to the task of processing the many SARS-CoV-2 genomes submitted to GISAID (from dozens to hundreds every day worldwide) to validate the quality and reliability of the sequences and their metadata Again reflecting its ongoing efforts to advance knowledge Institut Pasteur scientists deposited several preprints (preliminary versions of publications prior to acceptance by the peer review board of a scientific journal) throughout the year both on the Institut Pasteur open archive and on international open science sites like medRxiv.org and bioRxiv.org A review of the Institut Pasteur’s mobilization and main achievements in 2020 concerning the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and the Covid-19 epidemic Download All these major achievements are a testament to the unprecedented response from the Institut Pasteur's teams Institut Pasteur scientists use scanning electron microscopy to examine the virus’ strategy of attack Shown here is a sample of bronchial cells grown in culture and colored in blue the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.Credit : Institut Pasteur Director of the National Reference Center (CNR) for Respiratory Infection Viruses at the Institut Pasteur cells known as Vero E6 cells were identified and can be used to culture the two coronaviruses which is kept under strictly controlled conditions so that we would be ready as soon as we detected a positive sample for the 2019-nCoV coronavirus Cytopathic effect of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus on Vero E6 cells Cell layer with a visible cytopathic effect (CPE); the cells attacked by the virus have been destroyed Christophe d'Enfert leads the Coronavirus Task Force that was set up on January 23 The Task Force is composed of scientific experts from several disciplines and support staff from the Institut Pasteur's technical departments to ensure that scientific projects can be carried out as effectively as possible What have been the Institut Pasteur's strengths in dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic which is facilitated by its economic model – its status as a foundation greatly simplifies the launch of new projects Many of the projects initiated this year were also made possible by the successful public fundraising appeal which provided the funds needed to embark on major research in diagnostics epidemiology and therapeutics back in mid-February alongside the projects already started in January (see below Interview with Arnaud Fontanet) Without this outpouring of generous support we would not have been able to launch as many projects The other strength is of course the expertise of our teams which were immediately able to apply their knowledge to the novel coronavirus A thorough knowledge of viruses was crucial; we have carried out significant research in recent years on other coronaviruses which we were able to apply to the novel coronavirus Another example is the expertise of one of our teams in identifying antibodies with therapeutic potential which led to the rapid identification of drug candidates to treat COVID-19 We have specialists in a wide range of fields and a depth of basic knowledge that paved the way for relatively rapid progress Scientists on campus with no links to virology also stepped up teams from the Department of Neuroscience started working on COVID-19 because of its association with neurological disorders such as loss of taste and smell Thanks partly to the generosity of the general public we have funded dozens of projects and mobilized the efforts of nearly 400 people for multidisciplinary research on COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 Although we responded on a large scale in recent years to outbreaks of chikungunya our response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been quite unprecedented Close-up of the whole SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus sequence in one of the first French cases an RT-qPCR diagnostic test is developed by the CNR for Respiratory Viruses The RT-qPCR technique developed by the CNR for Respiratory Viruses specific detection of the virus through nasopharyngeal swab specimens was transferred to hospitals and made known to WHO so that it could be shared among the global network and with the scientific community as effectively as possible The Institut Pasteur's historic mission is to fight emerging infectious diseases and make its innovations accessible to the entire world population This historic positioning and commitment was reaffirmed as early as 2014 at a workshop jointly organized by the Institut Pasteur (Paris) with the World Health Organization and the World Intellectual Property Organization The principle is to encourage the transfer of technologies from academic research to industrial players through agreements aimed at guaranteeing accessibility of products and services to the greatest number with free licenses for low-income countries This policy has been implemented particularly in response to the Covid-19 health crisis with an unprecedented mobilization of all the Institut Pasteur teams to provide diagnostic and vaccine solutions in record time; this in collaboration with national and international industrial partners to mass-produce these innovations and make them accessible as quickly as possible Contracts for the exploitation of Pasteurian technologies include obligations for industrialists to : Some examples of the wide-ranging research at the Institut Pasteur : • Development of an RT-qPCR diagnostic test by the CNR for Respiratory Infection Viruses Read "Operation and reliability of RT-PCR tests in the detection of SARS-CoV-2" • Development of an RT-LAMP rapid diagnostic test The Institut Pasteur's Laboratory for Urgent Response to Biological Threats (CIBU) contributed its expertise together with key reagents to obtain a test that was as sensitive and specific as the RT-qPCR test but with a result in under 30 minutes LAMP technology can be used outside medical test laboratories A consortium of industry partners was set up for the development of this test • Provision of serological tests to assess whether an individual has developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 proteins and therefore previously contracted the virus These seroconversion tests can be used by epidemiologists to map the spread of the virus over a given area They can also be used in conjunction with RT-qPCR tests in diagnosing patients They are CE marked and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration • Phylogenomic studies showing the different introductions of the virus in France (Read "Introductions and early spread of SARS-CoV-2 in France" • Rollout of assays using novel seroneutralization techniques to determine whether patients have developed neutralizing antibodies These assays can also be used for diagnostic purposes or to verify and confirm the performance of vaccines in development (via serum samples taken from vaccinated individuals) Another potential use is to ensure that specific populations have developed neutralizing antibodies following vaccination • Collaboration with diagnostic startups to develop innovative lateral flow antigen tests : reducing the need for RT-qPCR confirmation for those receiving a negative result (as is the case with current antigen tests) • Development of a diagnostic test by the Hong Kong University-Pasteur Research Pole and rollout in the International Network • Bioinformatics Hub involved in curating genomes sequenced worldwide (GISAID) (Find out more) Find out more deputy director of the Virus Influenzae national reference center at Institut Pasteur Whole-genome sequencing of the novel coronavirus is crucial to be able to develop specific diagnostic tests and identify potential treatment options We did all we could not to lose the benefit of several years of work Anna-Bella Failloux leads the Arboviruses and Insect Vectors Unit at the Institut Pasteur in Paris and with her team she manages an insectarium to breed mosquitoes that may be viral vectors (they may transmit viruses to humans) Large quantities of mosquitoes are bred in this vast facility in controlled conditions The aim is to be in a position to respond to future challenges caused by emerging vector-borne diseases we were told that we were going to have to close the laboratory There are normally twelve of us in the team just four of us came in to look after the mosquitoes feed them and carry out the necessary maintenance For most of the species we house in the insectarium If we hadn't been able to work as a smaller team we would have lost all thirty mosquito populations many of which come from our work in collaboration with the Institut Pasteur International Network The atmosphere was rather strange on campus as it was empty but there was a real feeling of solidarity among Institut Pasteur staff but we managed to keep things going in that way Because it is so important for the Institut Pasteur to maintain its "non-COVID" activities It is one of the rare places in Europe with such a large number of research teams working in such varied fields There are so many pathogens that we need to continue investigating so that we can get to know them better and be in a better position to tackle them if and when they emerge." Anna-Bella Failloux Head of the Arboviruses and Insect Vectors Unit and the insectarium at the Institut Pasteur in Paris (Extract from the Pasteurdon conference on October 8 Wide-ranging research at the Institut Pasteur The idea was to respond to the many requests from private and academic groups in France and abroad wanting to find out whether certain small molecules or biological molecules (e.g proteins or antibodies) were capable of blocking SARS-CoV-2 in a variety of cellular models A working group evaluated the relevance of the 56 requests received and accepted 32 of them (15 from industry and 17 from academia) The aim of these analyses was to draw on the Institut Pasteur's expertise for the identification of novel therapies by the rapid development of models suited to specific viruses during pandemics The work enabled several private and public laboratories to confirm or refute scientific theories as part of their efforts to find therapeutic solutions to treat the virus a small number of molecules were found to have an effect The findings will have to be confirmed with subsequent analyses on more advanced models some of which will involve research partnerships with the Institut Pasteur (see the press release: "Innate immunity and fusion of cells infected with SARS-CoV-2" ) (see the press release " Revealing how SARS-CoV-2 hijacks human cells; points to drugs with potential to fight COVID-19 and a drug that aids its infectious growth" ) Find out more Find out more The Institut Pasteur was actively involved in Crépy-en-Valois in two epidemiological studies carried out by Santé publique France Two questions to Arnaud Fontanet Director of the Department of Global Health and Head of the Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases Unit at the Institut Pasteur The Institut Pasteur carried out large-scale studies on the COVID-19 cluster that emerged in Crépy-en-Valois in February 2020 we got involved when the cluster emerged in Crépy-en-Valois We first became aware of the cluster when a middle school teacher died on February 25 in Paris we carried out a study on March 5-6 which revealed that the virus was circulating actively in Oise and which also allowed us to take samples that we could use to develop serological assays These samples were complemented by the samples from the national cohort led by Inserm meaning that several teams on campus were able to develop serological assays based on various technologies which we reported on in a scientific publication As well as developing different types of tests my team carried out two epidemiological studies in Crépy that enabled us to document an outbreak that had occurred in a high school in the town in the first fortnight of February and to confirm the fact that the virus was circulating in primary schools but without any major outbreaks." What were the results of these studies in the high school and primary schools we demonstrated that the virus was circulating actively: 41% of people who had been in contact with the high school We then tried to find out whether the outbreak had also occurred in primary schools in Crépy-en-Valois The first finding of our study was that children aged between 6 and 11 had had mild forms of the disease and that 44% of them had been asymptomatic from parents and siblings to children rather than the other way round there were three introductions of the virus in primary schools without any cases of secondary transmission that children under the age of 11 are slightly less susceptible to infection who behave like adults and contract more visible We also saw that children who had been infected by other seasonal coronaviruses that had caused colds were not protected against the novel coronavirus." the Institut Pasteur has been working on several vaccines for the SARS-CoV-2 virus Significant progress was made on three research programs in particular in 2020; one of these unfortunately had to be discontinued in January 2021 but work on the other two is continuing demonstrated good efficacy and extremely high production of antibodies in preclinical trials developed with the biotech company Theravectys Lentiviruses are "slow" viruses (from the Latin lentus characterized by a long incubation period before they become pathogenic The virus is genetically modified to make it harmless for humans and to enable it to produce the spike protein Find out more Of the various SARS-CoV-2 vaccines developed at the Institut Pasteur the DNA vaccine is undoubtedly the one that uses the most cutting-edge technology The principle is to inject a DNA molecule into human cells These cells recognize the DNA molecule and transcribe it into an RNA molecule capable of producing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is the entry key allowing the virus into the cell Find out more Following the intermediate results of the Phase I clinical trial the Institut Pasteur stopped development of this vaccine candidate on January 25 The vaccine candidate was an attenuated live virus vaccine using the measles vaccine as a vector (or vehicle) and expressing a spike protein antigen from the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the protein that serves as the entry key allowing the virus into cells) The decision to stop the clinical trial has no adverse impact on the continuation of research to tackle the SARS CoV-2 virus including that based on this platform using the measles vaccine virus as a vaccine vector or the continuation of other vaccine research projects being conducted in partnership with Themis/Merck-MSD and aimed at other infectious diseases (Lassa fever and chikungunya) A vaccine candidate for chikungunya is currently in Phase III clinical trials (the results of the Phase I and II trials were published in The Lancet) Find out more Photo en microscopie à balayage électronique Wide-ranging research at the Institut Pasteur Video microscopy below showing syncytium formation following SARS-CoV-2 infection Find out more Sources of the numbers : Department of scientific affairs (SGS) Scientific Information Resources Center (CeRIS) Research Applications and Industrial Relations Department (DARRI) Receive our weekly Newsletterand set tailored daily news alerts Transport/Aerospace, Industrial, Construction Â£135,500 grant for all-composite wheel for electric vehicles Autoneum develops Hybrid-Acoustics ECO+ for electric vehicles Today's print edition Home Delivery French counterterrorism police converged on an area northeast of Paris on Thursday after two brothers suspected of being behind an attack on a satirical newspaper were spotted at a gas station in the region France's prime minister said on Thursday he feared the Islamist militants who killed 12 people could strike again as a manhunt for two men widened across the country.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Two police sources said that the men were seen armed and wearing hooded ponchos in a Renault Clio car at a gas station on a secondary road in Villiers-Cotterets some 70 km from the French capital In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page XFASTINDEX 5 days Suffolk contractor on the rise with growing plant fleet 5 days Volvo describes its new wheeled loaders as “a significant leap forward in technology and design”. 17 Apr Komatsu has unveiled what it calls ‘the most technologically advanced excavators ever’. 10 Apr Finning has completed a comprehensive remanufacture and rebuild of a Cat 320E excavator for Kevin Woods Plant Hire, giving the machine a second life. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments. © 2025 The Construction Index [Company No There have been a number of sales and service agreements as well as major investment in manufacturing Here’s a round-up of what’s been going on Japanese manufacturer Kubota has decided to pump €55m (£49m) into a state-of-the-art research and development plant to be built in Crépy-en-Valois further channelling its efforts into the European tractor market See also: Bespoke liquid fert kits improve no-till drilled crop performance The new facility is scheduled to open in 2020 Budget brand TYM Tractors has a new dealer on board in the shape of East Hampshire-based Rafferty Newman which will take charge of selling the full tractor range from 25hp to 105hp Manure specialist GEA has appointed Redlynch Agricultural Engineering as a distributor for all of its manure equipment throughout the UK This means Redlynch will be working alongside a smaller localised dealer network helping to supply and install products as well as providing service backup There’s a new kid on the agricultural manufacturing block as Leeds Welding Company has opened a new agricultural arm to run alongside its existing steelworking business The venture will offer telehandler and loader attachments ranging from simple buckets and forks through to brushes and snow ploughs and the company is looking to get its products into dealerships across the UK potato equipment company Scanstone has opened a new branch in Lakenheath workshops and dry machine storage all on one site The company sees this as a perfect location to serve the large spud growers in East Anglia and southern England but also the booming market in northern France Visit our Know How centre for practical farming advice 17 students from Athboy Community School took part in a French exchange with the Lycee Jean Monnet in Crepy-en-Valois in the Oise Department of the Picardy region of northern France This is the fifth year of the exchange with the Lycee which is located close to the Autonne Valley area with which Athboy has been twinned since 2000 the 17 Irish students from tranistion year fifth year and LCA year 2 flew to Paris to begin the French end of the exchange The first day was taken up with school-based activities as the students attended classes in the Lycee Jean Monnet the students enjoyed a treasure hunt in the town of Crepy-en-Valois with their French hosts the group travelled north-east through Picardy and over the border into Belgium The destination was Brussels where the students enjoyed a walking tour that took in the city centre St Catherine's Cathedral and the main destination the group was given a talk on the EU by a Bulgarian guide and a tour of the parliament chamber itself They got to see where the Irish translators sit the areas reserved for Irish MEPs and the press area Wednesday was a free day to be spent with their host families but the busy itinerary continued with a tour of some of the local historical sights including Pierrefonds with its stunning castle and the Clariere De L'Armistice a clearing in the forest near the city of Compiegne where the First World War was ended by an armistice signed between the Allies and Germany Afterwards it was on to Compiegne itself for shopping The first sight was the Stade de France in St Denis There was a lot of good-natured banter between the Irish and the French about a certain 'goal' last November involving the use of a certain hand The group continued on a bus tour of the city which took in the Arc de Triomphe the Champs Elysees and Invalides before a stop at the Eiffel Tower The day out also included some retail therapy on the Champs Elysees and in Roissy a theme park just outside the city of Amiens based on the famous French cartoon character 'Asterix The Gaul' A fun day was had by all on the various roller-coasters and rides hosted a soirée featuring traditional French cuisine and music All the students and teachers felt that the trip was very successful and that the pupils got a lot out of it and made some lasting friendships Some are even heading back to France in the summer to renew acquaintances with their host families 24 students from the French Lycee had visited Athboy staying with host families in the locality As well as attending classes with their Irish hosts they enjoyed many cultural trips to places such as Newgrange The Causey Experience and the Croke Park Museum The students have recorded their sincere thanks to their host families and to Mr Anthony Leavy Meath Chronicle is part of Celtic Media Group which includes: The Anglo Celt Westmeath Examiner and Westmeath Independent| © 2021 Meath Chronicle and Celtic Media Group on Saturday got married to Aramide in Crépy-en-Valois Poet and author Lola Shoneyin shared news of the wedding along with photos from the ceremony on Facebook Now we move to church and jollof!” the author of The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives wrote Born in London to a Nigerian father and German mother Ade Bantu leads the 13-piece band named BANTU The 50-year-old is also co-founder – along with his younger brother Abiodun Odukoya – of the Afro-German music collective Brothers Keepers BANTU’s 2005 album titled Fuji Satisfaction featuring Adewale Ayuba won the Kora Awards for Best Group West Africa and Best Group Africa the latest of which is Everybody Get Agenda in 2020