International network: coming together to improve collaboration
On 23 and 24 June 2025, the main representatives of the ANRS Emerging infectious diseases International Network met in Paris for two days of meetings, sharing and work.
Last updated on 07 July 2025
Main points
This in-person meeting provided an opportunity to discuss a number of key scientific and strategic issues:
- the challenges of research into long-acting PrEP,
- the prospects for collaboration with the Rhiviera consortium on HIV remission,
- the fight against arboviroses,
- research avenues to mobilise the Network around tuberculosis,
- and the development of a co-constructed and harmonised training offer to meet the different needs of countries.
A precious opportunity to connect in person
At a time when global health challenges are multiplying and international funding is tending to decrease, this annual meeting was an opportunity for the representatives of the members of the International Network to come together in a setting conducive to collective reflection. For Prof. Coumba Touré Kané, coordinator of the Senegalese partner site, “organising the annual meeting is a very important part of the Network. It enables us to strengthen our ties, to see what is being done in the various partner countries, to forge collaborations, and to think about how we can work together“.
The workshop format, which was introduced for the first time last year, was welcomed: it enabled participants to compare points of view, build consensus and identify common levers for action on the themes of training and research strategies on cure.
These meetings enable us to see that many things can be transposed to our own contexts. For example, when it comes to implementing cure strategies, we realise that we have the capacity to carry out studies in our own countries, particularly socio-anthropological studies into how people perceive treatment.
What’s more, explaining the difference between cure and remission helps to get people on board, and beyond our communities, to raise awareness among decision-makers and ethics committees. In the end, more partners buy into the research project and support it. This broadens our outlook and our field of action, and adds real value.
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Encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration to identify synergies
As an example of the research projects being coordinated within the Network, the DENGAGE study in Vietnam, funded by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and carried out by the NGO SCDI in collaboration with the Dak Lak CDC and the ANRS MIE, aims to establish solid data on the seroprevalence of dengue fever in a particularly hard-hit region. “It’s an important project, because there’s a lot of structuring to be done upstream, which will serve as a basis for the future projects we hope to build up,” explains Ann-Claire Gourinat, international technical expert in Vietnam.
“The DENGAGE project has several components. There’s a community-based approach that sets it apart, with interviews, discussion groups and a KAP (knowledge attitude practice) study, and an epidemiological component with the seroprevalence study, where we’ll be looking at the presence of antibodies against the dengue virus, with a target of 1,600 people to be included. In a second phase, it will be possible to use the serotheque built up during this project to carry out studies on other arboviroses“.
At the same time, young Guinean researcher Salifou Talassone Bangourra is developing a similar approach to arboviruses in sub-Saharan Africa. His thesis work at the CERFIG (around which PRISME Guinea is based) in Conakry, Guinea, documented the circulation of viruses such as dengue fever and chikungunya on the continent, despite the paucity of published studies.
“We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of seroprevalence studies on arboviruses in sub-Saharan Africa, published over the last 22 years (period 2000-2022), to document the past circulation of these viruses. The results obtained are essential for guiding control and prevention strategies, and underline the importance of investing in surveillance and research activities on arboviruses in the region. This work will serve as a basis for future studies. Our next step is to model arbovirus epidemics and map the areas at risk.“
Infections linked to arboviruses are very difficult to pin down. On the one hand, 70-80% of patients are asymptomatic, and infections are often short-lived. Secondly, most African countries do not have sufficient resources to monitor and diagnose arboviruses. In addition, the co-circulation of numerous other pathogens, including viral, bacterial and parasitic agents, which present the same symptoms, as well as co-infections, further complicate the surveillance of arboviroses.
Sub-regional and even international collaboration is essential to conduct research and establish harmonised protocols for surveillance, diagnosis, preparedness and response to future epidemics.
Didier Laureillard, a member of the Tuberculosis Coordinated Action, gave an overview of the research carried out to date, particularly in the countries of the International Network, and of the research issues raised today. In particular, he noted the lack of ongoing projects in the human and social sciences on the subject of tuberculosis, emphasised the need to forge closer links with the Network’s members around a major multi-centre federating project, and invited researchers in the countries of the International Network to take action on cases of immunosuppression, which are of great concern in the various countries of the Network. The Tuberculosis Coordinated Action is available to help develop projects on these issues.
Training: the essential role of the Network in structuring a strengthened and harmonised offer
A workshop was devoted to training initiatives run by PRISMEs and partner sites. It provided an opportunity to take stock of existing training courses (diploma, professional or one-off) and to identify the needs to strengthen this dynamic. The aim is to avoid duplication, pool expertise and strengthen the ability of centres of excellence to have a regional impact. The partners have emphasised the importance of these training courses in developing the next generation of local scientists.
In 2024, the ANRS MIE supported more than 30 training courses in the countries of the International Network. See, for example, the initiatives set up in Senegal.
Perspectives and next steps
All the presentations and discussions highlighted the International Network’s commitment to responding to the scientific priorities of the countries involved. Network members reiterated the importance of anchoring research projects in local realities and of developing the capacities of PRFI partners.
The strengthening of dialogue with the presence of the Regional Advisors for Global Health, Pierre-Alain Rubbo and Aline Serin, the Ambassador for Global Health Anne-Claire Amprou and representatives of various national and international institutions was also identified as a lever for advancing scientific diplomacy based on balanced partnerships.
Pictures of the International Network meeting (photo credit: Arnaud Cesar)
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