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Dear WIPO Re:Search Members and Friends,
Happy New Year!
2013 was a productive second year for the WIPO Re:Search Partnership Hub; BVGH facilitated 31 new research Agreements and welcomed 16 new Members. Five hosting arrangements were also coordinated and executed in 2013. We are starting to see the impact of WIPO Re:Search as several of these research collaborations have identified screening hits, while other collaborations have improved the drug attributes of previously-identified lead candidates. As new partnerships develop and existing ones progress, we anticipate an even greater impact in 2014.
Last year ended on a busy note for BVGH - I attended the First Biennial Scientific Conference on Medicines Regulation in Africa and Roopa attended 2013 Technology Transfer Summit Asia meeting. Both meetings provided BVGH with opportunities to present WIPO Re:Search activities and achievements, as well as engage current and prospective Members.
I am pleased to welcome our newest Member, the University of New South Wales, to WIPO Re:Search.
As always, please forward this Snapshot to your colleagues and reach out to us with any partnering requests or ideas.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Dent
President, BVGH
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 WIPO Re:Search Statistics
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Special Announcement
BVGH will be releasing its next issue of the BVGH Funders Database, a comprehensive database of all open funding opportunities relevant to neglected disease research. This database summarizes and categorizes funding opportunities' critical information, including program description, disease and product focus, stage of R&D, researcher and institute eligibility requirements, geographic restrictions, deadline, contacts, and URL. The Database is updated quarterly and contains three tiers of funding opportunities:
Tier 1: grants that are often >$100,000 and have regular open call schedules
Tier 2: grants that may be <$100,000, lack complete information, or that do not have a regular schedule
Tier 3: travel awards, pre- and post-doctoral fellowships, conference awards
The opportunities' information is sortable to allow you to more easily identify relevant funding for which you are eligible. If you would like to receive the Funders Database, please email Katy. |
Last month, Jennifer Dent presented the capacity-building hosting opportunities, which BVGH and WIPO arranged for WIPO Re:Search Member institutions, at the First Biennial Scientific Conference on Medicines Regulation in Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa. This conference presented an opportunity to engage scientists involved in drug development and regulatory initiatives in Africa. While at the event, Jennifer spoke with Peace Babalola, Dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, Director, Centre for Drug Discovery, Development, and Production, University of Ibadan, and representatives from the World Bank, MSD*, and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA).
 | | Jennifer presents the WIPO Re:Search capacity-building efforts |
 | | Peace Babalola (University of Ibadan) and Jennifer Dent |
Roopa Ramamoorthi gave a presentation describing WIPO Re:Search and participated in two panels entitled, "Vaccines, biologicals, and public health - global challenges, emerging markets, and the opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and expansion" and "Outcome driven healthcare - key messages for TTOs and CEOs" at the 2013 Technology Transfer Summit (TTS) Asia meeting in Singapore last month. While in Singapore, Roopa also met with researchers from the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), including Pei-Yong Shi, Executive Director/Senior Unit Head - Disease Biology, and Thierry Diagana, Head, NITD, as well as scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
*Known as Merck in the US and Canada
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This month, we are pleased to announce that the University of New South Wales has joined WIPO Re:Search.
Located in Sydney, Australia, the University of New South Wales is one of Australia's leading research and teaching universities. The University's School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences includes the department of Molecular Medicine, which combines fundamental biological and biomolecular sciences with applied biotechnology and medical focus. The department's strengths include biomaterials and immunology. The School of Chemistry includes the department of Medicinal Chemistry, which seeks to design bioactive molecules, explore DNA-drug interactions, and understand natural product chemistry, among others.
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Partnership Hub Central
Roopa and Katy Graef attended the 6th Annual CEND Symposium at UC Berkeley, which focused on academia and the global health pipeline. During the event, Roopa and Katy spoke with researchers from Anacor, PATH, UC Berkeley, UCSF, and the University of Buea. Fidelis Cho-Ngwa, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, University of Buea, spoke about his research, the state and complexities of drug discovery for onchocerciasis, as well as the achievements and capabilities of the University of Buea's ANDI Centre of Excellence during the CEND symposium.
 | | Fidelis Cho-Ngwa presents his research during the 6th Annual CEND Symposium |
Katy coordinated a visit and meetings for Fidelis at Stanford University with Olfat Hammam, Professor of Pathology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute (TBRI), and Michael Hsieh, Assistant Professor of Urology, Stanford University. BVGH arranged Olfat's sabbatical at Stanford with funding from the WIPO Australia Funds in Trust.
 | | Olfat Hammam (TBRI), Katy Graef, and Fidelis Cho-Ngwa (University of Buea) |
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This month's Snapshot features Fidelis Cho-Ngwa from the University of Buea. Fidelis developed a medium-throughput system to screen compounds for microfilaricidal and macrofilaricidal activity against Onchocerca and Loa loa worms. His current interests include screens
of traditional medicines as well as other natural products, and the development of a small animal model to examine the effects of Onchocerca macrofilaricides against Loa loa microfilariae.
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Highlighted Contributions
Featured this month are three contributions submitted by the University of Buea to the WIPO Re:Search Database. 
Onchocerciasis drug screening expertise and facilities
The University of Buea is willing to enter into partnerships accessing its state-of-the-art facilities and expertise in drug screening for onchocerciasis, including whole-parasite and medium-throughput screens.
Access to biological materials and field testing for onchocerciasis
The University of Buea has access to adult onchocerciasis patients, and can therefore provide partners with a range of biological materials, including serum and microfilarial parasites. The University can also undertake epidemiological surveys and field-testing.
Medicinal plants for onchocerciasis treatment
The University of Buea has experience investigating crude plant extracts for selective activity in the search for novel filaricides.
For more information or to discuss potential collaborations regarding this technology, please contact Roopa Ramamoorthi.
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Global Health in the News
Recently, Luke Timmerman of Xconomy interviewed the president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Program, Trevor Mundel. In his interview, Trevor discussed the role of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry in global health, the differences in health technology requirements between the developed and developing world, and valuations of health interventions. While discussing his previous work developing the Coartem Dispersible, an anti-malarial formulated for children, Trevor mentioned, "...I saw what a small group can do to have a massive impact on a miniscule, shoestring budget..." Click here for the complete interview.
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Upcoming Global Health Events
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Dates
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Event Title
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Location
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Web Link
| | Feb. 2-7 | Science of Malaria Eradication - Keystone Symposium
| Merida, Mexico |
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Feb. 17-20
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4th Zing Drug Discovery Conference
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Malaga, Spain
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Are you attending a global health event?
Do you have a Research Request to highlight in the Snapshot?
We want to hear from you! Please send feedback and suggestions via email.
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WIPO Re:Search Founding Supporters
*known as Merck in the US and Canada
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