Page 16 - Sphere No.15 (Nov 2005)

Berkeley attracted the tycoon’s attention more than any other
institution outside China.”
UC Berkeley is the kind of place where action follows words.
The idea of bringing science to ordinary people is not some
lofty goal created by academics in their ivory tower, but a very
real way of implementing research done there
every day. This can be seen in what the university
has done for the prevention of dengue fever, an
infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and
caused by any of four related dengue viruses.
Scientists at Berkeley recognised that the dis-
ease predominately occurs only in small rural
villages, where medical access is not easy, so they
developed a robust prevention kit that is effec-
tive and relatively inexpensive, enabling people
to self diagnose for dengue fever when they are
out in the field anywhere in the world. It is this type of pio-
neering prevention measure that scientists hope to see more of
in the future.
Battling against deadly diseases like cancer is another huge
challenge but scientists are already heading in the right direc-
tion with the development of some less invasive cancer treat-
ments. It is hoped new medical advances will eventually spare
patients the brutal side effects associated with cancer treat-
ments like chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
“In the future, we will be able to identify individual tailor-
made treatments for different types of cancers once we identify
where the cancer is located, and in which gene. We can then gear
treatment to that particular area,” said Randy Schekman,
professor of molecular and cell biology. “This is something
we couldn’t have dreamed of doing a few years ago.”
Meanwhile, research on killer diseases like HIV will focus
on the finer points of how the virus works, the virus cycle
and how it hides out, said Professor Tjian.
Further funding for the project is likely to come from the
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine which awards
grants for stem cell research to California research institutions
and industry. “We hope to leverage our collaborative research
agenda and the construction of the centre to request matching
funds from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
directed for stem cell research at Berkeley. Mr
Li’s leadership gift is critical to our opportunity
to leverage these funds,” said Professor Tjian.
Global health problems and disease security
are two of the most pressing problems facing the
world today. “There is no doubt infectious dis-
eases are a global problem,” said Professor Tjian.
“We now end up looking at the world as a whole
and think about how everything is really inter-
related. Take SARS for example. Within 24
hours it could go from China to San Francisco,
so it essentially becomes everyone’s problem.”
The global nature of world medicine also has a human face at
UC Berkeley. The Department of Molecular and Cell Biology has
one of the university’s largest undergraduate populations, attract-
ing several hundred undergraduates each year, many from Asia.
“The undergraduate numbers began increasing in the 1990s,
partly as people began realising how important and lucrative the
biotech industry had become, and also the difference they could
make to the world through research,” said Professor Tjian.
Whatever the future holds, there is no doubt the world will
need many more of these passionate doctors and scientists in
the future if the war against global diseases is to be won.
SPHERE 14
UC Berkeley
is the kind
of place where
action follows
words
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF UC BERKELEY, EXCEPT FAR RIGHT