Global hunt for off-beat research

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By Wang Zhuoqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-03 09:38

Imagine yourself driving a 50-year-old car. That's how a visiting senior official of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation described current tools to diagnose and treat TB patients.

"The current TB diagnostic test is 125-year-old. Vaccine was developed 80 years ago, and the TB drugs are in use for about 50 years," said Tachi Yamada, president of Global Health Program at the Gates Foundation in Beijing yesterday, adding that it was time new drugs were developed.

The foundation yesterday announced a new round of Grand Challenges Explorations - a five-year, $100-million initiative to encourage bold and unconventional research on new global health solutions.

"We hope to hear from researchers of all ages, in every continent and from disciplines that don't typically focus on global health or even biomedical research," Yamada said.

Two Chinese students from Fudan University who proposed an idea on TB treatment in Shanghai received an award last year.

Around 7,000 applications were initially received, including 191 from China. A higher number is being sought from China for the following rounds.

Trying to develop a talent pool in China is part of the foundation's attempt to forge a "true bilateral partnership", as it signed a collaboration agreement with China's Ministry of Health to fight TB on Wednesday, following up on its support to prevent HIV and anti-tobacco efforts.

The foundation has vowed to increase its spending to $3.8 billion in 2009 from $3.3 billion in 2008.

"We felt it was necessary to maintain the momentum we gained in the past five years," said the global health program president. "It is also important for others to follow our example. We want major bilateral donors."