February 2014
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A Note from Jennifer
Dear WIPO Re:Search Members and Friends, 

  

The 2014 Winter Olympics are upon us and like the Games, which bring together the best and brightest athletes in the world, WIPO Re:Search convenes many of the globe's most innovative and talented NTD, malaria, and tuberculosis researchers. Like the billions of Olympic spectators, WIPO and BVGH are cheering on our WIPO Re:Search Members.
 
Last month, two new WIPO Re:Search agreements were finalized. This brings the number of agreements to 46.
 
WIPO has completed and uploaded video interviews of two WIPO Re:Search Member researchers who participated in sabbatical opportunities at Novartis. These videos may be viewed on the WIPO Re:Search website and on YouTube.
 
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 

 

statsWIPO Re:Search Statistics
 

 

Last month, the Eskitis Institute, Griffith University, in Australia, agreed to provide Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) with a selection of natural products to screen against soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomes.
 
 

  
Four researchers from WIPO Re:Search Member institutions participated in sabbatical opportunities at three WIPO Re:Search Members' locations last year. With financial support from the Japanese government, WIPO created video interviews of the researchers. The videos of Wellington Oyibo, Associate Professor, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, and Fidelis Cho-Ngwa, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, University of Buea, are available on the WIPO Re:Search website and on YouTube. Both Wellington and Fidelis participated in three-month sabbaticals at Novartis' site in Basel, Switzerland.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This month, we regrettably inform you that AstraZeneca (AZ) will no longer be a Member of WIPO Re:Search.
PHCPartnership Hub Central 

  

While in Geneva last week, Jennifer Dent met with several Members and updated them on the status of WIPO Re:Search partnerships. Eduardo Pisani, Director General, and Andrew Jenner, Executive Director, Corporate Strategy and Legal Affairs, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA),discussed the important impact that WIPO Re:Search is having on the advancement of R&D for neglected diseases. The IFPMA recently published a report, Pharmaceutical R&D Projects to Develop New Cures for Patients with Neglected Conditions, that describes IFPMA member participation in neglected disease R&D. WIPO Re:Search is highlighted on page 9 of the January 2014 report - "WIPO Re:Search: a collaborative platform to boost R&D". The report also lists several of the partnerships established through WIPO Re:Search.

  

 

WIPO Director General, Francis Gurry, met with Lila Feisee, Vice President, International Affairs, Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), and representatives from Abbvie, Johnson & Johnson, and Roche, to speak about his upcoming plenary session at the 2014 BIO International Convention in San Diego. During these discussions, Francis encouraged the companies to join WIPO Re:Search.

 

  

Tom Bombelles, Head, Global Health, WIPO, attended the WIPO Conference on Open Innovation: Collaborative Projects and the Future of Knowledge in Geneva, last month. Tom represented WIPO Re:Search on a panel session that included individuals from the Wellcome Trust, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and M�decins Sans Fronti�res (MSF). Additional conference attendees included numerous representatives from national governments.  

  

 

Roopa Ramamoorthi and Katy Graef attended the Anthelmintics: From Discovery to Resistance meeting in San Francisco last week. The event provided the opportunity to interact with several Members, including Jennifer Keiser, Assistant Professor and Head of Helminth Drug Development Unit, Swiss TPH, John Rogers, Program Officer, Preclinical Parasite Drug Development, US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Ronald Kaminsky, Head of Parasitology, Animal Health, Novartis, as well as engage potential new Members. During the conference, Roopa presented WIPO Re:Search and the agreements and collaborations involving helminth infections that BVGH has facilitated.

Roopa presents WIPO Re:Search during the Anthelmintics meeting

 

HCHighlighted Contributions 

    

Featured this month are two contributions submitted by the University of Ibadan to the WIPO Re:Search Database. University of Ibadan logo
 
Malaria and soil-transmitted helminth infection diagnostic evaluation services 
 
The University's Parasitology Unit has strong capacity for malaria and soil-transmitted helminthiases diagnostics evaluations, including hospital- and community-based evaluations. The unit is currently being equipped with facilities for molecular diagnosis of parasitic infection. Dr. Dada-Adegbola has had training both in immunology of parasitic infections and molecular diagnosis of parasitic infections, with an emphasis on malaria parasites and intestinal helminths. Some staff members have been trained to perform molecular diagnoses, and this knowledge is transferred, though training, to other staff. 
 
Tuberculosis R&D services (ID: 2761)
 
The University of Ibadan has capacity for tuberculosis diagnostic evaluation, case management, and disease control. The University is involved in tuberculosis research and is currently building capacity to carry out clinical trials on tuberculosis diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines in accordance with international standards. The University is willing to partner with other organizations to strengthen tuberculosis R&D in order to reduce disease burden in its community.
 

  

For more information or to discuss potential collaborations regarding this technology, please contact Roopa Ramamoorthi.  

newsWIPO Re:Search in the News

WIPO published an article that not only highlights WIPO Re:Search and its successes to date, but also describes the human side of the diseases that the Consortium's Members seek to combat. Click here to read the article.
 
Intellectual Property Watch published an article, "At WIPO, Global Experts Share Experiences On Open Collaboration," describing the proceedings of the WIPO Conference on Open Innovation, which took place last month in Geneva. The article also discusses the connection between open innovation and intellectual property, and the role each play in confronting worldwide challenges, such as global health.
EventsTableUpcoming Global Health Events

Dates
Event Title
Location
Web Link
Feb. 17-204th Zing Drug Discovery Conference
Malaga, Spain
Mar. 5-7
6th ASEAN Congress of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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.

WIPO Re:Search Pharmaceutical Members
 
 *known as Merck in the US and Canada

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