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Bridging the Gap CDTS Bridging the gap CDTS Dr Carlos Morel, former World Health Organization Director of the Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, shares details of his work developing translational research in Brazil has altered their lifestyles and increased their Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is lifespan. This expansion covers the emergence now a key player in this area; the founding of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, and full implementation of several ‘product obesity, heart disease and cancer. development partnerships’ such as the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), Drugs As Coordinator of the new Center for for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), Technological Development in Health (CDTS) Global Alliance for Tuberculosis Drug project, which aims to foster translational Development (TB Alliance), Foundation research, what does your role involve? for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) and others that are contributing to the I lead a team of 20 permanent staff at Fiocruz, emergence of robust drug portfolios, vaccine which includes researchers, planners, managers development programmes and new product and a lawyer. This team is responsible for two pipelines; and finally, the introduction of main parts of the project: first, the managerial an international, peer-reviewed publication aspects of CDTS, which include shaping the dedicated to neglected diseases – PLoS business plan, interacting with scientific and Neglected Tropical Diseases. © GUTEMBERG BRITO industrial partners and working together with other Fiocruz sectors to finish construction of Equally, however, the intervening years have the CDTS building; second, the management of seen the emergence of the ‘Valley of Death’, Who was Oswaldo Cruz, the founder of the ongoing scientific projects, in particular those a chasm between biomedical researchers Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz)? funded by the National Institute of Science and the patients who need their discoveries. and Technology for Innovation in Neglected Pharmaceutical companies continue to Cruz was a Brazilian physician who was trained Diseases (INCT-IDN), which are carried out use drug development processes that at the Pasteur Institute in Paris and specialised in laboratories and organisations in several are slow, inefficient, risky and expensive, in bacteriology. In the late 1800s, public health locations around the country. despite advances in basic science and the in Brazil had deteriorated due to infectious recent move from pharmaceuticals to diseases, which greatly affected international Why were you, in particular, chosen for biopharmaceuticals. trade and tourism. In response, the Brazilian this task? Government asked for help from the Pasteur Have there been significant contributions Institute, and was informed that Cruz could lead I was invited by the President of Fiocruz to head from CDTS and INCT-IDN researchers in the implementation of policies and healthcare the CDTS programme, one of the top priorities this time? initiatives to combat the situation. of Fiocruz, due to my professional and academic background. I was the former President of CDTS and INCT-IDN were critical players He oversaw the construction of a building Fiocruz (1993-97), and former World Health leading to the establishment of the R&D complex to manufacture vaccines, perform Organization (WHO) Director (1998-2004) of on Neglected Diseases programme by research and train young investigators. His the Special Program for Research and Training the Brazilian Ministry of Health. I was efforts were immensely successful and he in Tropical Diseases, co-sponsored by UNICEF, invited to coordinate the planning and became a national hero. That complex formed the Unitied Nations Development Programme, implementation of the first two national the beginning of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, World Bank and WHO in Geneva, Switzerland. calls for applications that were funded at the which was named in his honour for his My experience has included public health in level of R $20 million and R $17 million in contributions to improving public health in Brazil. Brazil and coordinating interactions between 2006 and 2009, respectively (approximately basic science and industry before it was termed US $10 million each at the exchange rate in Have the aims and objectives of the translational science. those years). organisation changed since its formation? Since your 2003 article ‘Neglected diseases: This led to collaborative work between our The goals of improving Brazilian public health under-funded research and inadequate health group researching social network analysis through science and policy have remained the interventions’, has the situation changed? and the top political and managerial levels same at Fiocruz, but healthcare priorities are at the Ministry of Health, allowing us expanding from infectious diseases to include a Many changes have occurred, some positive and to shape an innovative approach for the broader agenda due to the modernisation of a some negative. To my mind, the most important strategic planning and implementation of large segment of the Brazilian population, which advances have included the inauguration of the this programme. WWW.RESEARCHMEDIA.EU 17 CDTS Boosting Brazil The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation is one of Brazil’s leading scientific institutions, and recently lived up to that title when it began groundbreaking work towards expanding and improving its infrastructure – acting as a model for other scientific organisations in the country and beyond THE BIGGEST COUNTRY in South America, of affairs that has had widespread effects on the Brazil boasts a large and growing economy, as country’s scientific community. well as highly developed infrastructure. Less well known perhaps is that it is also a great FUNDING FOR FIOCRUZ contributor to the progression of science. In total, the country’s researchers produced around One of Brazil’s most prominent scientific 47,500 academic papers in 2012. Brazil leads Latin institutions is the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation America in the quality of its research facilities; it (Fiocruz), which was responsible for producing is the only Latin American country with a particle around 1,300 of Brazil’s 47,500 research papers accelerator and one of only two South American in 2012. Fiocruz is a very active institution in the countries with an operational synchrotron area of health research and design, and is a major laboratory. On top of this, it is also home to a manufacturer of vaccines, pharmaceuticals number of leading scientific institutions. and biopharmaceuticals. However, at present Prototypes, Biopharmaceuticals and Reagents research and industrial activities are not for Diagnoses (CIPBR), which will be operational But like many other countries, Brazil has one coordinated; little attention is devoted to in 2015 and 2014, respectively. CDTS will focus great and fundamental problem: science, translating scientific advances into new health on the preclinical development of new health technology and production are each conducted products. Similarly, manufacturing activities are products, whereas CIPBR will work on late in relative isolation. This phenomenon is precipitated mostly through knowledge transfer development, clinical stages and regulatory prominent in developing countries, and in from big pharmaceutical companies such as aspects of development and manufacture on the Brazil’s case the problem has arisen because GlaxoSmithKline plc or partnerships with public, same products. The two facilities will be located its main funding agencies – CNPq and CAPES government and non-profit organisations. side by side in order to facilitate collaboration. – were created in 1951 at a time when basic Their division of responsibilities will allow the sciences were considered fundamental, and a In order to aggressively address this outdated two facilities to refocus Brazilian research for the consideration for universities, whereas applied research approach institutionally and nationwide, benefit of citizens. sciences were the responsibility of industry. the Brazilian Government recently provided Consequently, more than 60 years later, Brazil Fiocruz with US $200 million in grants towards DRAMATIC CHANGES is an important contributor to basic science, the implementation of two huge projects: but falls far behind other comparable countries the Center for Technological Development in Dr Carlos Morel, former President of Fiocruz, in terms of industrial innovations. This is a state Health (CDTS) and the Integrated Center for is leading the CDTS project team. The group is responsible for overseeing the construction of the 20,000 m2 facility, which will include ample space for ‘flexible labs’ – areas that will be reserved for collaborative projects originating from partnerships between Fiocruz and industrial or non-profit entities; the first time that a Brazilian public institution will set aside space on its campus for such partnerships. The establishment of the physical facility, however, is only one-third of the group’s Co-authorship ego- responsibilities. CDTS is also home to the network of the Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology for scientists who published Innovation in Neglected Diseases (INCT-IDN). the most papers (A Kritsky) This Institute, which was formed as part of a and filed the most patent highly competitive programme developed by applications (C Silva in four of Brazil’s most eminent funding agencies, collaboration with A O was approved in 2009 and consolidated
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