Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences | Rutgers-New Brunswick
This Month's Focus:

A New Paradigm of Drug Discovery

Better and More Affordable Medicines for Everyone
Photo: Global Institute for Bioexploration (GIBEX) scientists are traveling around the world to train and equip local scientists with drug-discovery tools and technologies.

Global Institute for Bioexploration (GIBEX) scientists are traveling around the world to train and equip local scientists with drug-discovery tools and technologies.

The flora and fauna of our planet provide at least fifty percent of all pharmaceuticals. Compounds that show promise for drug development are typically found in nations that have high levels of biodiversity, and are typically removed from the country of origin to be developed in more industrialized countries. When the drugs reach the market, the people living in the country where the compound was discovered often cannot afford to purchase the medication that was developed using their own country's natural resources.

The Rutgers-based Global Institute for Bioexploration (GIBEX) is creating a new paradigm of drug development to ensure that nations will benefit from drug discoveries based on compounds found within their borders. GIBEX scientists are traveling around the world to countries including Tanzania, Ecuador, and Kyrgyzstan, to train and equip local scientists with drug-discovery tools and technologies, called Screens-To-Nature (STN) technology. After the Rutgers scientists go home, people living in the area continue the work of looking for potentially life-saving--and profitable--medicinal compounds. Any compounds that are found remain the intellectual property of the country in which it was discovered.

GIBEX is an international program whose impact is also felt at home. Rutgers students travel with GIBEX scientists to train people in the use of STN technology and to assist with GIBEX conservation and biodiversity initiatives. By stimulating student interest in natural and health sciences, GIBEX helps maintain New Jersey's preeminence in the global health industry and provide secure, rewarding jobs for Rutgers graduates. GIBEX is also in a position to bring new products and opportunities to New Jersey pharmaceutical, food, and wellness industries--as long as the industry agrees to equitable sharing of revenues with the source countries.

You can help GIBEX change the paradigm of drug discovery. Contact us for more information.

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