New Life Science Future Prospects
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New Life Science Future Prospects BioVisionAlexandria 2010 New Life Science Future Prospects BioVisionAlexandria 2010 Editors Ismail Serageldin Ehsan Masood with Mohamed El-Faham and Marwa El-Wakil Bibliotheca Alexandrina Cataloging-in-Publication Data BioVision Alexandria 2010 : Alexandria, Egypt) New Life Sciences : future prospects : BioVisionAlexandria2010 / Bibliotheca Alexandrina ; editors, Ismail Serageldin, Ehsan Masood, with Mohamed El-Faham and Marwa El-Wakil. – Alexandria, Egypt: Bibliotheca Alexandrina, 2011. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-977-452-149-8 1. Biotechnology -- Congresses. I. Serageldin, Ismail, 1944- II. Masood, Ehsan. III. El-Faham, Mohamed. IV. El-Wakil, Marwa. V. Aliksandrina (Library). VI.Title 660.6--dc22 2011593101 ISBN 978-977-452-149-8 Dar El Kotob Depository Number 4131/2010 © 2011, Bibliotheca Alexandrina. NON-COMMERCIAL REPRODUCTION Information in this publication has been produced with the intent that it be readily available for personal and public non-commercial use and may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. We ask only that: • Users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced; • Bibliotheca Alexandrina be identified as the source; and • The reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. E-mail: [email protected] The information in this publication is solely the responsibility of the author. Text design and layout: Cherine Bayoumi and cover design: Hany Saber Printed in EGYPT 1000 copies Contents Acknowledgements xi Contributors xiii Foreword xix Hani Helal Part 1. First words A Bio-Based Society for a Sustainable World 3 Philippe Desmarescaux Science and Social Responsibility 7 Mohamed Hassan A New Strategy for Life Sciences R&D 9 Koji Omi Interpreting Gene Sequences: Speeding up the Snail’s Pace 15 Richard Roberts Part 2. BioVision Commentaries 1. The Third Global Revolution 23 Ismail Serageldin 2. Merging Man and Machine 47 Kevin Warwick 3. Norman Borlaug’s Legacy 59 Clive James vi Contents 4. Biotechnology’s Philosophical Challenge 71 Werner Christie 5. Is Progress the Same as Development? 79 Biljana Papazov Ammann 6. New Approaches to Scientific Integrity 87 Joel Nobel 7. Can Science Save the World? 93 Claudio Carlone 8. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina Supercourse: Expanding the Role of the Educator 97 Francois Sauer, Ron LaPorte, Susan Hanna Bennett 9. “Twelve Points of Light” for Creating a Technology Transfer Program 115 Joseph D. Fondacaro Part 3. Science for Food, Agriculture and Sustainability 10. Biodiversity and Biotechnology: Myths and Reality 127 Klaus Ammann 11. Agriculture and Biodiversity in a Hot and Crowded World 135 Nina V. Fedoroff 12. Opportunities to Achieve Resource-Conserving Increases in Agricultural Production: Learning from the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) 141 Norman Uphoff 13. Future Priorities for Enhancing Global Food Security 155 Rajul Pandya-Lorch 14. Increasing Cereal Nutritional Quality and Yield 163 Swapan Datta 15. Agricultural Biotechnology and Environmental Safety 179 Efffat Badr Contents vii 16. The Quest for Nitrogen Fixing Cereals 187 Edward Cocking 17. Bt Brinjal: The Challenge of Deregulation 197 Frank Shotkoski 18. Biotechnology, Farmers and Environment in India 209 Mittur N. Jagadish, Mahesh V., and Villoo Morawala-Patell 19. Biotechnology, Knowledge and Prosperity in the Mercosur Region 215 Daniel Pagliano 20. Agricultural Biotechnology in Europe 225 Ricardo Serra 21. International Efforts in Biodiversity Conservation 231 Jeffrey A. McNeely 22. The World Library of Toxicology, Chemical Safety, and Environmental Health (WLT) 243 Phillipe Wexler Part 4. Strengthening Capacity in Africa 23. Food Security and Social Action for 2050: Building African Capacity 257 Vivian Lowery Derryck 24. Health Biotechnology Innovation in sub-Saharan Africa Through Collaboration With China and India 267 Andrew Kapoor & Halla Thorsteinsdóttir 25. The African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE) 275 Betty Kiplagat 26. Barriers to Health Technology Development and Commercialization in Sub-Saharan Africa 281 Kenneth Simiyu 27. Building Natural Products Expertise in Southern Africa 291 Jane Morris and John Saka viii Contents 28. Translational Medicine at South Africa’s Medical Research Council 299 Anthony Bunn, Louis Rossouw and Maritha Kotze Part 5. The Challenge for Genomics and Molecular Biology 29. China’s Great Leap in Genomics 311 Yang Huanming 30. Evolution of Human-Microbe Interplay: Challenges and Opportunities 317 Adel Mahmoud 31. Alternative Splice Variants as a New Class of Cancer Biomarker Candidates 325 Gilbert S. Omenn 32. Bioinformatics and Genomics Sciences in the Middle East 335 Yaqoub Ashhab 33. The Bioeconomy to 2030: Designing a Policy Agenda 347 Michael Oborne Part 6. Novel Approaches in Medicine and Healthcare 34. Reducing the North South Cancer Gap 355 Pierre Bey 35. Increasing Access to Cancer Treatment 361 Ahmed Elzawawy 36. The Hygiene Hypothesis and the Rise of Chronic Inflammatory Disorders 371 Graham A. W. Rook 37. The Hygiene Hypothesis and its Impact in Public Health 385 Paolo Maria Matricardi 38. Regenerative Therapy: Today’s Dream, or Tomorrow’s Discovery? 403 Mona K. Marei Contents ix 39. Advances in Rehabilitating Patients with Brain Injury 411 José León-Carrión 40. Membranes for Artificial Organs Applied to Haemodialysis 423 Jörg Vienken 41. Gknowmix.com: A Gateway to Genomic Healthcare 435 Maritha J Kotze 42. A Systems Biology Approach to Translational Medicine and Wellness in Venezuela 445 Rafael Rangel-Aldao 43. Biodiversity Prospecting for Drug Lead Discovery in Latin America 453 Barbara N. Timmermann Part 7. Where Next for Water? 44. The Three R’s of Water: Recycle, Reclaim and Restore 465 Margaret Catley-Carlson 45. Getting Out of the Water Tank 471 William Cosgrove 46. Membrane Technologies: Inspired By Nature at the Service of Life 481 Gilbert M. Rios 47. Membrane Advances for Water and Energy 487 Suzana Pereira Nunes 48. Membrane Bioreactors For Domestic Wastewater Treatment 495 Sami Sayadi 49. Removing Pharmaceutical Residues From Wastewater 503 Damià Barceló, Jelena Radjenović, Mira Petrovic x Contents Part 8. New Thrusts in Energy and Climate Change 50. Climate Change Treaties: Can the UN Help? 513 Robert J. Berg 51. Climate Change Effects in orthernN Egypt 521 U. Cubasch and I. Höschel 52. The Desertec Concept 529 Hani El Nokraschy 53. Biofuels: Risks and Reward 539 Joao de S.B. Paes de Carvalho Part 9. Introducing 54. The BA Science Supercourse 549 Noha Adly, Najeeb Al-Shorbaji, Jesse Huang, Ronald LaPorte, Faina Linkov, Magdy Nagi, Gilbert S. Omenn, Nicholas Padilla, Francois Sauer, Ismail Serageldin, Eugene Shubnikov 55. Egyptian Young Academy of Science 557 Nadia El-Ansary 56. Fifty Years of Academic Cooperation Between Germany and Egypt 561 Christian Hülshörster 57. How PepsiCo Bridges the Agriculture-Nutrition Divide 563 Carmela Rivero 58. Qatar Foundation: An innovative Model for Research and Education 573 Abdelali Haoudi Part 10. Last words Invitation to BioVision 2011 585 Christian Grenier Acknowledgements We are grateful to all who have made the BioVisionAlexandria 2010 Conference the success it was. First and foremost, the Egyptian Government whose support of the Conference is highly appreciated. Our deepest appreciation also goes to the distinguished Nobel Laureates, speakers, session chairs, discussants, rapporteurs and participants without whom this conference would not have been possible. A sincere thanks to our partners; The World Life Sciences Forum, BioVision who inspired us to take this road and have been a help and support ever since. A special thank you to Mohamed El-Faham, Marwa El-Wakil, Omneya Darwish, Asmaa Soliman, Yasmin Maamoun, Esraa Ragab and the conference organizing team at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina who worked day and night to make this event a success. Also to Cherine Bayoumi for her creativity and super-efficient design and layout, Hany Saber for the cover design and Marian Roushdy and Lara El-Mallakh for data collection and for attending to every single detail of the proceedings preparation. Many thanks to Esraa Ragab, Riham Khattab, Shaimaa El-Fadaly, and Magdy Khalil, for proof-reading, Nevine Noreldin for the book citations and Olfat Gafour for her continuous support and guidance. In addition to all the staff at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina who contributed to the production of this volume specially Hanan Abdel Razek and Mohamed Gomaa. The following organizations have in many different ways supported the Conference, to which we would like to express our sincerest gratitude Sponsoring Organizations Official Partners The World Life Sciences Forum, BioVision, The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), The International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Qatar Foundation, Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), Egypt, The Science and Technology in Society (STS) xii Acknowledgements Forum, Science Supercourse and Swiss Agency For Development and Cooperation (SDC). Sponsors Monsanto, Research Development and Innovation Programme (RDI), Lipton as platinum sponsors. Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD), Genzyme as gold sponsors. Harty Tours as silver sponsor. British Council, Elsevier, Novo Nordisk, European Membrane House (EMH), Chaire UNESCO-SIMEV, DaeDalus