The Hindu Business Line : Let's talk science!

Little did molecular biologist Sergio Garcia imagine he would be filing for an international patent for something he had developed so early in life. But that is precisely what the 28-year-old student from Mexico's Technologico de Monterrey is working on.

A diagnostic tool to test for Influenza A (HINI) or swine flu, developed along with his team of three students, is being evaluated by the Mexican government for wider use, says Garcia.

And what makes this diagnostic tool promising? A one-shot test that gives the reaction for HINI and Influenza A; it reduces the cost of testing by one-third, says the young man, looking every bit the student.

Two private hospitals and a public hospital are at present using the protocol, he says, explaining how it happened. When Mexico shut down after the outbreak of swine-flu, classes were suspended. The Mexican government asked scientific institutions to help find ways to handle the crisis, and he too was roped in by his “boss” (professor).

The mandate was to develop a less expensive diagnostic tool. And they did just that the “same day” the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention uploaded its protocol for the same thing, he claims. Bio-camp 2009

Garcia is one of the young scientists at Novartis' Bio-camp 2009, a bio-technology leadership event hosted at the Swiss drug-maker's research headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And for Garcia and 60 other bright youngsters from 27 countries, this is a platform for interaction. For students with a background in molecular biology, management, practising medicine or combinations of different disciplines, looking ahead posed a peculiar problem. “Our science teachers do not understand business and business teachers know little science,” was a constant refrain among several participants.

But when you are in one of the world's largest markets for medicines, can the money be too far behind the research? So at the Cambridge camp, the young Turks got to listen to not just scientists, but also venture capitalists (VCs), who explained what they look for before betting their money on a science-based project.

The participation was from Indonesia, Switzerland, Turkey, Israel, Australia, Japan, Russia, India and African countries. Novartis' Peter Koerfgen, region head-country communications, referred to by his colleague as the “Godfather” of the event, said this is the first all-continent Bio-camp.

At the three-day event, entrepreneurs and bio-camp alumnae, along with scientists and VCs, gave the participants aged between 20-40 years, practical tips … carry business cards, have an open mind, focus on break-through science… and busted popular myths (“talk, talk, talk — don't be secretive, take several inputs for your projects”).

The youngsters were given a tour through the risk-laden path to develop a drug, the investment involved, regulatory and intellectual-property issues in different countries on the road to hitting the market. There were also discussions on stem-cell therapies and challenges in funding in a recessionary environment. On the last day students presented projects to a three-member jury. Some projects reflected the specialisation of team members, while others revealed the challenges of the countries they came from. Stem-cell therapy to treat sickle disease (the project that won the competition), cancer bio-markers, tests for quick diagnosis of TB, treatment for allergies and immunity boosters, were just some of the ventures the young minds tried to hard-sell to the jury.

The event saw three participants from India — Dr Anuradha Sinha and Amit Kumar, both pursuing their MBA at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad; and Rodabeh Vania, a postgraduate from Mumbai. While some participants from the US admitted that their universities did conduct similar scientific sessions, one participant said the novelty here was the exposure they got to the working of a multinational drug company.

Reputation

For Novartis, this is a “reputation-building exercise where we show that we do something for the community and young talent,” says Koerfgen.

The Bio-camp was started in 2004 as an initiative of the company's Human Resources department in Taiwan, as they faced problems in sourcing fresh talent, he recalls. Also, Novartis was not well-known there. He added that Novartis is against sponsoring events like doctors' seminars, even if it means losing some customers.

The Bio-camp has come a long way, attracting over 3,000 applications and over a lakh hits on its Web site, he says. But if the event set out to open minds on science and business, it also inadvertently traversed gender issues, with some female participants saying they would like to work for organisations that treat men and women equally. While some participants were excited about starting their own ventures, others like Garcia had just science on their mind.

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