Various opportunities of collaboration were discussed during the working visit of Mirdad Kazanji, General Director of the “Centre Pasteur du Cameroun (CPC)” to the Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases.
Yaoundé, September 26, 2024. CRID was honoured to welcome Dr Mirdad Kazanji, and his team composed of Dr. Sara Irène Eyangoh, HDR, Scientific Director of CPC, and the institution’s Communication Officer. The working visit lasted for an hour and was hosted by Prof. Charles Wondji, CRID’s Executive Director, alongside department heads and Senior Researchers. During their visit, Dr. Kazanji and his delegation toured CRID’s laboratories and insectaries, gaining first-hand insight into the cutting-edge facilities that enable CRID to conduct high-level research. At the end, they were fascinated. “I’d like to congratulate Professor Charles Wondji on what I’ve just seen. It’s impressive in terms of infrastructure, impressive in terms of research projects and impressive in terms of human resources”, said the General Director.
“The goal of this working visit is to establish a consortium or an agreement for the future, as we unite our strengths in advancing research by combining all the experience that CRID has in entomology, parasitology, and genomics, along with the infrastructure at the CPC, our efforts will truly lead to constructive and conclusive projects for the benefit of Cameroon and its populations”, Dr Kanzanji added.
During the laboratory tour
Both counterparts agreed to set up a memorandum of understanding to accelerate collaboration between CPC and CRID. “We have complementary skills that we need to put together in order to apply for more funding, train students, and enhance our efforts to combat various diseases in Cameroon”, Prof. Charles Wondji emphasized.
Mirdad Kazanji, PhD, HDR, is General Director of the CPC since 2021. Formerly, he headed the Institut Pasteur of Central African Republic. He obtained his PhD in virology from the University of Paris XII in 1993 and joined the Institut Pasteur to develop a vaccine against the Human T-lymphotropic (HTLV-1) virus. After five years of post-doctoral experience, he obtained his “Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches” (HDR) and joined the scientific staff of “Institut Pasteur” in Paris.
Having a consortium with CPC will be a great advantage for CRID, which will henceforth have access to the entire Pasteur network worldwide.
