Abdallah Daar

Title: Genomics Initiative In Developing Countries: Opportunities and Challenges

In 2002 the World Health Organization declared that all nations, including developing nations, need to harness the advantages of emerging genomic sciences and associated technologies to ensure global health equity. The McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health has a major interest in exploring how cutting edge science and technology goes from “the Lab to the Village” and our research over the past decade has largely focused on the various issues along this path. We have studied health biotechnology national innovation systems, followed by studies of individual companies, and then individual technologies in countries in several developing countries. Among the issues we have explored are the ethical, economic, environmental, legal and social challenges generated by life sciences research; the challenges in implementation and adoption of solutions; and the mechanisms of enhancing innovation in developing countries with the potential for improving local and global health and local economies.

This presentation will focus on our studies of genomics initiatives in India, Thailand, South Africa and Mexico. It will also highlight recent initiatives in other parts of the world, including other parts of sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.