BIOTEC is joining Novartis, a leader in pharmaceutical research and development, to make use of research done by Thai scientists and develop new medicines from natural substances. The main goal is to help sufferers of heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. So far the partners have already discovered 2,500 new kinds of micro-organisms in Thailand that are medicinally active.
Dr.Kanyawim Kirtikara, Director of the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), said that BIOTEC and Novartis of Switzerland were building on their research results with the continuation of the second phase of a project to develop medicines from natural substances. In the first phase the partners were able to discover 2,500 new types of microbes in Thailand and isolate 70 new substances from microbes. Many types of microbes that have not yet been discovered and researched, have the potential to produce biologically active substances.
During the first phase of the joint project, Novartis granted training fund for six researchers from BIOTEC for three months. The researchers learned new techniques so they could perfect their work and improve BIOTEC’s system for chemical extraction and screening as well as identifying and isolating different strains of micro-organisms. That is why they were then able to discover 2,500 new kinds of microbes.
The second phase of the project will last for three years, from June 2008 to May 2011. The research will focus on bacteria, whereas in the first phase the emphasis was on fungi. More training will be provided for researchers in the field of microbiology, bacteriology, mycology and other related areas so they can expand their knowledge and skills.
Dr. Frank Petersen, Sr. Unit Head Natural Products at Novartis, said that the company would choose the microbes that are most medically effective to research further. The major emphasis is on finding substances to treat the world’s most common diseases such as, heart disease, cancer, infectious diseases, and osteoporosis.
Since Thailand has high biodiversity, being home to about 10% of all the different kinds of microbes in the world, up to 20% of the microbes that Novartis is using in its research to develop medicines from natural substances come from Thailand. The microbe bank run by BIOTEC has recorded the genetic identifying data of over 10,000 types of microbes.
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