FRIM in deal for drug bio-prospecting

FRIM IN DEAL FOR DRUG BIO-PROSPECTING

Patvinder Singh New Straits Times 04/03/2002

The Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japanese-owned Nimura Genetic Solutions (M) Sdn Bhd (NGS) to collaborate in bio-prospecting of new drugs. FRIM, and the country at large, are expected to benefit from collaborative research and development programmes through technology transfer, intellectual property rights and patent ownerships related to new discoveries in drug and food supplement.

FRIM director-general Datuk Dr Abdul Razak Mohd Ali said the R&D activities would begin in June and NGS would take up laboratory space at FRIM's forest reserve in Kepong at a cost of RM300,000 over five years.

"NGS would certainly benefit from FRIM's vast experience in tropical rain forest diversity, its large pool of research expertise and the extensive range of supporting research facilities available within FRIM's campus where one gets the feeling of working with nature, a feeling not available anywhere else in this country," Abdul Razak said.

Nimura specialises in isolation, characterisation, fermentation and extraction of useful and active compounds from micro organisms, particularly from the soil for the purpose of drug discovery.

FRIM will stand to benefit from royalties once NGS has been able to isolate and test microbes against bacteria and disease organisms and then sell the microbes to pharmaceutical manufacturers.

"It will take a year before we have some idea of the suitability of the microbes," he said after the MoU signing ceremony at the institute recently.

Abdul Razak signed for FRIM while NGS was represented by its chief executive officer Satoshi Nimura.

Nimura said FRIM was chosen as it was the most established institute for forest bio-diversity.

"We will spend RM2 million to renovate and set up facilities for the laboratory in FRIM and we will do our research in Malaysia unlike other companies which take samples from Malaysia and return to their countries to do the research."

Nimura said his company would bring in two scientists from Japan and employ 10 Malaysian scientists.

"We will also train three FRIM scientists in Japan."

FRIM said drug discovery was a very lengthy process requiring between 10 and 15 years of painstaking research and development, and cost over US$150 million (RM570 million) for the development of a single drug.