MONTREAL – Leading edge science could be the salvation of the developing world.
Medical developments at the molecular level could improve infant mortality numbers, offer better diagnoses for diseases like HIV-AIDS and malaria and deliver effective vaccines derived from plants such as potatoes or alfalfa.
“In every region of the world there are two to three countries that are really innovative. The other 20 or 30 do not have a high level of technology and are learning from the two or three,” said Dr. Peter Singer, professor of medicine at the University of Toronto.
Read Also
Alberta eases water access for riparian restoration
Alberta government removes requirement for temporary diversion licence to water plants up to 100 cubic metres per day for smaller riparian restoration projects
Taking science to the people and blending it with common practices could end suffering from disease, poverty and infant mortality, he told a science writers meeting in Montreal.
An example is a malaria vaccine used in combination with mosquito netting around beds to combat a disease responsible for killing millions each year.
Or, added his colleague Abdallah Daar, consider that there are 20 candidate vaccines for HIV and all are a result of biotechnology.
“Some of the problems of the developing world can only be solved by biotechnology. HIV is a good example,” Daar said.
These concepts are part of the United Nations-led Millennium Project established in 2000 as a set of targets for developing countries to reach by 2015. The project aims to reduce extreme poverty and hunger, provide universal primary education, reduce infant mortality, reverse the spread of HIV-AIDs, improve access to safe drinking water and ensure environmental sustainability.
The project’s science and technology chapter hopes to harness genetics to help developing countries with molecular diagnostics, recombinant vaccines and drug and vaccine delivery.
Molecular diagnostics can detect the presence of a pathogen at the cellular level by finding certain proteins in the patient’s blood or tissues.
Infectious and parasitic diseases are responsible for about 40 percent of the 17 million deaths in the developing world each year. The three major diseases are HIV-AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Rapid diagnosis at the molecular level improves chances of survival and ensures that correct treatments are administered.
Genetically modified vaccines can be replicated quickly. In some cases they have improved storage characteristics and may not have to be refrigerated.
Some of these vaccines are plant derived. For example, a vaccine derived from potatoes has been shown to increase immunity in mice. Plant-derived vaccines are being developed for diseases affecting young children, particularly measles and diarrhea.
Singer said there are already success stories.
China was the first country in the world to license gene therapy for certain types of cancer.
Cuba has produced the world’s only meningitis B vaccine.
Another project is looking at using biotechnology to filter arsenic from well water in Bangladesh with genetically modified bacteria.
While costs are declining, more funds are needed to keep these projects operating.
Canada recently announced it would contribute $1 billion to government research and development in developing countries. In Canada, about $22 billion is devoted to research and development.
