On 11.02.2021, Mrs Florence Robine, Ambassador of the Republic of France to Bulgaria, visited The Stephan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, together with Veneta Salyahetdinova, a student from Blagoevgrad, winner of the “Ambassador for a Day” competition. The director of the institute, Prof. Penka Petrova presented the laboratories of the Departments “Immunology”, “Virology” and Laboratory Center “Pasteur”, which research is dedicated to counteracting the pandemic of COVID-19. The Department of Immunology is working on two research projects funded by the Institut Pasteur in Paris. VacciNanoCor is headed by Prof. Andrey Chorbanov and aims to develop a Bulgarian vaccine against SARS-Cov-2. The young scientist Dr Milena Leseva revealed the progress of the project “m6A_RAIAV” related to research on socially significant diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and influenza. The Department of Virology presented their studies on mechanisms of antiviral action of disinfectants and potential drugs, as well as on analyzes of polymeric materials for protective masks and clothing. Veneta Salyahetdinova was impressed by the opportunities for the development of young scientists in Bulgaria and their scientific achievements. Prof. Petrova emphasized that as an institute of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes, IMiKB has always maintained excellent relations with the Embassy of the Republic of France. Mrs Florence Robine thanked for the warm welcome and the opportunity to get acquainted with the progress in the development of the Bulgarian vaccine. Mr Svetoslav Milanov, Attaché for University and Scientific Cooperation of the French Embassy, shared his confidence in continuing the fruitful cooperation in the future.
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