Doctor Mérieux's museum of biological sciences

At the Dr. Mérieux Museum of Biological Sciences, discover how scientists from ancient times to today have gradually come to understand the mechanisms behind the infectious diseases that affect us all.

At the end of the 19th century, the Frenchman Louis Pasteur and the German Robert Koch established the field of microbiology. This discipline revolutionized our understanding of infectious diseases in humans and animals!

Marcel Mérieux, a young Lyon chemist, was one of their successors. These microbiology pioneers, and the succeeding generations, refined our knowledge of microorganisms and the factors that spread infectious diseases. They also developed stronger and stronger tools to protect us.

With the emergence of COVID-19, AIDS, the avian flu, and antibiotic resistance, the fight against infectious diseases remains just as critical today. All around the world, doctors, veterinarians, biologists, all kinds of researchers, industrialists, public institutions, and everyday people are fighting these diseases using an approach that strives to eliminate the boundaries between human, animal, and environmental health.

Marcy-l’Étoile, which was a small farming town at the beginning of the 19th century, played an important role in this adventure. This was where Marcel Mérieux set up his first laboratories in 1917. Over time, these labs produced serums, vaccines, and then diagnostic tests to be shipped all over the world.

Come (re)discover this history, which continues to be written, at the Dr. Mérieux Museum of Biological Sciences!