Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine

The institute has a strong reputation in biomedical, clinical and public health research, advanced education, travel medicine and care for HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections, as well as capacity-building in developing countries. Peter Piot and colleagues at the institute were the first to demonstrate that AIDS was a tropical African disease. ITM has been recognized by the World Health Organization as a reference centre for AIDS research. ITM also is a national and international reference centre for a series of diseases and pathogens (such as the Ebola virus).

At ITM, some 450 scientists and technicians do research on pathogens, patients and populations. ITM also carries out an extensive capacity strengthening program in developing countries, and is part of a large network of institutions in Africa, South America and Asia.