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Stewart Cole facts for kids

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Sir Stewart Thomas Cole, born in 1955, is a famous British and French scientist. He studies tiny living things like bacteria and viruses, which is called microbiology. He used to be the Director General of the Pasteur Institute, a very important research center in France, from 2018 to 2023.

Early Life and Learning

Stewart Cole grew up in Wales. He went to Milford Haven Grammar School and then Ardwyn Grammar School. When he was young, he got very sick with a disease called paratyphoid. This experience made him interested in bacteria, viruses, and diseases that spread.

He decided to study microbiology at the University of Wales in Cardiff. After that, he did more research for his PhD at the University of Sheffield in England. He also worked as a researcher in Sweden and Germany.

His Work and Discoveries

Stewart Cole has spent many years researching infectious diseases. These are illnesses that can spread from person to person. He also works on global health, which means helping people stay healthy all over the world.

From 2007 to 2017, he was a professor and director at the Global Health Institute in Switzerland. Before that, he worked at the Pasteur Institute in Paris for many years. Later, he returned to lead the institute.

Studying Tiny Germs

His research in microbiology is very important for global health. Over 40 years, his team studied many things. They looked at how bacteria get energy. They also studied the tiny genetic material of viruses like HIV and HPV.

Dr. Cole's team also researched how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria. He is best known for his work on bacteria called mycobacteria. These bacteria cause serious diseases like tuberculosis (TB), leprosy, and Buruli ulcer.

Training New Scientists

Stewart Cole has taught and guided many students. He helped them get their master's and PhD degrees. He also trained over 50 other scientists and doctors. Together, they have written more than 400 scientific papers. Many of his former students are now important scientists themselves.

New Medicines and Treatments

Dr. Cole has also invented many things that are protected by patents. Some of these inventions have been used by companies. They helped create new ways to find and treat diseases. These new products have saved lives.

He led projects to find new medicines for tuberculosis. These projects were called New Medicines For Tuberculosis (NM4TB) and More Medicines For Tuberculosis (MM4TB). This work led to the discovery of new TB drug candidates, BTZ043 and PBTZ169. These are special chemicals that can fight TB.

In 2014, a group called iM4TB helped raise money to develop PBTZ169. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also supported this work. Both BTZ043 and PBTZ169 have been tested in people.

In 2019, Dr. Cole became a scientific leader for ERA4TB. This group is working to find new ways to treat TB. They get funding from the European Commission.

Leading the Pasteur Institute

On October 13, 2017, Stewart Cole was chosen to be the 16th Director General of the Pasteur Institute. This was a big deal because he was the first person who was not French to lead it. He started his job in January 2018.

He created a plan for the institute from 2019 to 2023. His main goal was to boost basic research. He wanted the institute's work to have a bigger impact on human health. Key areas included new and re-emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and brain diseases.

He made sure the institute continued the four missions set by Louis Pasteur in 1887. These missions are research, public health, training, and turning discoveries into useful applications. He finished his term at the end of 2023.

In 2024, he joined the Ineos Oxford Institute for AMR Research. He also became the President of the Pasteur Foundation - UK. He was honored as a Knight Commander in 2022 for his services to science.

Awards and Honors

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