The visit showcased the Orion project, which will unprecedentedly connect a maximum biological containment laboratory with a synchrotron light source
On July 2, the French Guiana Pasteur Institute Director, Christophe Peyrefitte, accompanied by the Science and Technology Attaché of the French Embassy in Brazil, Marion Magnan, visited the facilities of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas/SP. The delegation’s main interest was to learn about the Orion project — a laboratory complex for advanced research into pathogens, which will include maximum biological containment facilities (NB4) unprecedented in Latin America, the first in the world connected to a synchrotron light source, Sirius.
Caption: Christophe Peyrefitte, French Guiana Pasteur Institute Director, visited the CNPEM training laboratory, a faithful replica of NB3 and NB4 laboratories (CNPEM Outreach)
Welcomed by CNPEM General Director, Antonio José Roque da Silva, the visitors toured several facilities on the campus, including the Sirius electron accelerator and CNPEM’s microscopy and biosciences infrastructures, in addition to the training laboratory — where the Training & Qualification Program in NB3 laboratories is currently conducted, and soon, also in NB4 laboratories (abbreviation for biosafety level 4).
The visit reinforces the mutual interest in international scientific cooperation on strategic public health and biotechnology issues. It is worth noting that, since the beginning, the Orion project scope has been discussed with representatives from various institutions — national and international, so that its infrastructure is adequate to meet demands of different natures.
About CNPEM
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is home to a state-of-the-art, multi-user and multidisciplinary scientific environment and works on different fronts within the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. A social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), CNPEM is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials, and sustainability. It is responsible for Sirius, the largest assembly of scientific equipment constructed in the country, and is currently constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research. Highly specialized science and engineering teams, sophisticated infrastructure open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects involving the productive sector, and training for researchers and students are the pillars of this institution that is unique in Brazil and able to serve as a bridge between knowledge and innovation. CNPEM’s research and development activities are carried out through its four National Laboratories: Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), Biorenewables (LNBR), as well as its Technology Unit (DAT) and the Ilum School of Science — an undergraduate program in Science and Technology supported by the Ministry of Education (MEC).
