ASU Biodesign Institute Researcher Works Both Sides of the Atlantic to Bring Better Health to Poor Countries

Kimberly Ovitt, Director of Communication & Institutional Advancement
(480)727-8688 | kimberly.ovitt@asu.edu
March 16, 2005

In his quest to help bring vaccines and knowledge to poor regions across the globe, ASU research professor Richard Mahoney recently took on a second job. This one just happens to be 5,300 miles from his Arizona home.

Mahoney is currently serving as interim CEO for an international organization located in Oxford, England in the United Kingdom. The Centre for Management of Intellectual Property in Health Research and Development, more routinely called MIHR, works to improve the access of poor countries to drugs, vaccines, diagnostics and other important health technologies. MIHR is supported by funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, the British Government and the World Health Organization. Mahoney spends about two weeks per month on alternating sides of the Atlantic.

Mahoney's responsibilities at ASU alone would be daunting for most people. In his role with the Biodesign Institute, he pursues plant-derived vaccine development in collaboration with fellow Biodesign researcher Charles Arntzen, a leader in this field. He teaches a graduate course on health product development at ASU's School of Life Sciences and is a member of the university's Human Dimensions Group. Recently, he co-chaired a task force with Biodesign Institute Director George Poste to develop a proposal to launch a school of global health at ASU. He also serves as an advisor to the Rockefeller Foundation's Health Equity Program.

But, despite his busy schedule, Mahoney didn't hesitate when MIHR asked him to step in as interim leader of the organization while a permanent CEO is sought.

"As a researcher, I know that simply developing a cure doesn't ensure that it will get to the people who need it," said Mahoney. "I was part of a group that established MIHR in 2002 because I believed we needed to help these countries from the inside out."

Mahoney explains that the health problems of poor and developing countries tend to be significantly different from those in the U.S. and Europe. Understandably, these wealthier nations are focused on problems affecting their own populations, not the illnesses that are devastating poor nations, such as hepatitis B, malaria and tuberculosis. Currently, 94 percent of patents are granted in the U.S. and more than 84 percent of global Research and Development expenditures are concentrated in ten countries.

"Many developing countries are attempting to solve the health problems facing their own populations, but they are at a disadvantage because of their lack of resources and science and technology infrastucture," said Mahoney.

As examples, he notes that biotech and life science research and development is increasing in Asia and has the potential to address serious regional health concerns such as SARS and other emerging infectious diseases. But there are major obstacles to the translation of that research into applicable products.

"MIHR is working on this problem from several perspectives. First, we're working with universities like ASU and also with the U.S. and European private sectors to find ways to give poor countries better access to new technologies." He noted that the patent protection granted to large pharmaceutical and biotech companies meant that research centers in developing countries have to learn how to get licenses to those patents to enable them to do research into diseases that no one else is addressing.

At the same time, MIHR is working in places such as Sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia to teach these countries how to make informed decisions regarding the protection and use of their own intellectual property. "Necessity is the mother of invention, and there is good science being done in many of these countries," said Mahoney. "Even the poorest regions of the world have valuable indigenous knowledge such as the medicinal properties of native plants and research centers that can make inventions. We want to teach these countries how to protect this intellectual property so that it benefits them directly." he said.

Mahoney said he feels his dual roles will allow even closer partnerships between ASU and MIHR, which have a history of joint projects. MIHR recently entered into several agreements with ASU totaling $200,000. Among the projects is the development of a database of intellectual property rights (patents) with respect to the development of plant-derived pharmaceuticals. This is part of a project the MIHR is undertaking for the European Union. ASU is also designing a curriculum to train individuals in developing countries and the U.S. in technology transfer and IP management skills relevant to the emerging needs of these countries.

The Biodesign Institute at ASU integrates research in diverse disciplines including biology, engineering, medicine, physics, information technology, and cognitive science to accelerate discoveries into beneficial uses. The Institute currently is pursuing innovations in healthcare, national security and environmental sustainability. For information, visit www.biodesign.asu.edu or call (480) 727-8322.