“WE CANNOT TREAT PATIENTS WITH PUBLICATIONS!”
Kelli Kuhen, PhD, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation
"There have been no new drugs in the last 40 years for treatment of tuberculosis, and drug-resistant strains are on the rise. With medicines that currently take six months to be effective, what this means is that people die. We need funding for research and for better translation of the basic research into making the drug."
Becoming a scientist was appealing for Kelli Kuhen, PhD, because it meant that she would be able to change lives for the better on a large scale. As a global health researcher, she is able to improve the lives of not only people in America, but for those who live and work around the world in ways she never anticipated. Kuhen's study of viruses and her work at the Genomics Institute has led to her current research, pursuing drug discovery for neglected diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases. Though malaria and tuberculosis are not rampant in the U.S. as they are in other parts of the world, "anyone working abroad, especially our military, are exposed to these and other diseases," says Kuhen.
Multi-drug resistant (MDR-TB) and extremely drug-resistant (XDR-TB) strains of MTB, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis, can easily be brought into the U.S. and quickly spread, particularly from nearby countries where TB rates are higher. At a recent FDA advisory meeting for the review of a Novartis anti-malarial drug, the biggest proponent for the timely approval of the drug was a high-ranking military official. He made a compelling argument, pointing out that servicemen and women must be able to count on taking FDA approved medications. Our armed forces and their families must receive the best that health research can provide. Kuhen reminds, "And today, just about everybody knows someone in the armed services ."
"We need continued and increased U.S. investment in global health research," says Kuhen, knowing where the gaps lie. There is a heavy military presence in San Diego, where Kuhen works and resides. Yet, she worries about just how much money is invested for their health protection. Funding for scientific discoveries can have a real impact on the medical therapies that men and women in uniform can rely on to protect themselves while fighting abroad.