PHC Europe B.V - a valued supplier to Institut Pasteur of Paris for over 10 years
The Institut Pasteur has nutured the fields of microbiology, immunology and molecular biology ever since its start. Institute personnel have made major contributions to knowledge on the structures and the functions of live bacteria and viruses, on infectious agents and the diseases which they cause. In particular, their contributions focused on rabies, the plague, diphtheria, tetanus, typhoid, yellow fever, tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, as well as hepatitis B and AIDS. Researchers gained fame over the years for discovering anatoxines, BCG, sulpha drugs, and antihistamines. Still other researchers had crucial roles in the birth of molecular biology as well as genetic engineering.
Ten Nobel Prizes have been awarded to Institut individuals since 1900: Alphonse Laveran (1907), Elie Metchnikoff (1908), Jules Bordet (1919), Charles Nicolle (1928), Daniel Bovet (1957), André LWoff, François Jacob, Jacques Monod (1965), Luc Montagnier and Françoise Barre-Sinoussi (2008) who discovered the retrovirus responsible for AIDS in 1983.
Since its creation in 1887, the Institut Pasteur has become famous throughout the world as a symbol of science and French culture. For 120 years this foundation has been contributing to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases through research, teaching and public health initiatives.
The Institut Pasteur foundation has set out its objectives:
- The study of infectious, parasitic and immune-system diseases, together with the means of preventing and fighting such diseases;
- The pursuit and development of research into micro-organisms, their role in natural, normal or pathological processes, and the reactions that they induce;
- The study and teaching of all aspects of microbiology, together with the training of scientific and technical personnel, with a view to promoting research in fundamental and applied microbiology;
- The study of all theoretical or practical phenomena related to microbiology, immunology or, generally, fundamental or applied biology, and research in these fields.
The Institut Pasteur enjoys independent status and its many other assets include 146 research laboratories, 2,600 individuals from 60 different nationalities, 20 technological platforms, several teaching centers and medical centers, all located on a single campus in the heart of Paris. It also has an international network which currently counts 30 members spread over five continents.
Over the past 10 years, PHC Europe B.V. has become one of the most important suppliers for -86°C and -150°C freezers which are essentials for storing samples. The number of freezers on average consists of more than 300 devices and represents the most important ULT concentration in the Paris region, and PHC Europe B.V. accounts for more than 30% of the market share for this prestigious customer. Every 2 years, the purchase department conducts a competition where worldwide manufacturers of ULT offer tenders, and selects at least 3 suppliers to fill their requirements. Most of the time, freezers are used for the storage of bacteria, virus, DNA, and RNA. All the freezers are controlled under a monitoring temperature system featuring highly secure sample preservation.