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Innovation in translational research has often emerged from the biotechnology industry. In a climate in which it is increasingly hard to found a successful company, direct technology transfer from academia to the pharmaceutical industry poses an additional threat to small biotechs.
Intellectual-property protection is a key driver of innovation, and researchers are always keen to file patents to shield their discoveries. Yet scientists often have an uninformed view of the value of their intellectual property. This naiveté slows down translational research.
Translating a basic finding into a new therapy requires us to speak many languages—scientific, clinical, legal and financial. Yet most of us are hopelessly 'monolingual', a limitation that substantially slows translational research. Steps have been taken to address this problem, but a lot remains to be done.
Basic HIV research has, over the past two decades, brought about enormous advances that have transformed a fatal disease into a manageable illness. HIV vaccine research has suffered more setbacks than successes, but a renewed focus on fundamental questions about HIV pathogenesis will provide new glimmers of hope.
Pushing 'shovel-ready' technologies through the pipeline has the potential to substantially bolster defenses against the emerging flu strain and future pandemics.
Not all financial interests in drug discovery are detrimental, and many are essential for its success. But focusing on perceived conflicts of interest may cause true scientific corruption to go unnoticed.
A recent US Supreme Court ruling places responsibility for the wording of drug labels on pharmaceutical companies. But the task of improving the communication of drug risks does not rest with the pharmaceutical industry alone.
With the global outsourcing of domestic drug manufacturing, the need to ensure the quality and safety of medical products has never been greater. But recent events show that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is not up to the task.
Influenza virus vaccination for young children living in the US state of New Jersey and who are attending preschool is now compulsory—a mandate that has highlighted a flourishing public mistrust of vaccines.
