Latest news with #medicalbreakthroughs
New York Times
11 hours ago
- Health
- New York Times
South Africa Built a Medical Research Powerhouse. Trump Cuts Have Demolished It.
In Cape Town, South Africa, one of the world's foremost H.I.V. researchers has been spending a chunk of each day gently telling longtime workers and young doctoral students that the money is gone and so are their jobs. When the calls are done, she weeps in her empty office. In the heart of Johannesburg, the lobby of a building that once housed hundreds of scientists is empty of people but choked with discarded office furniture and heaps of files hastily gathered from shuttered research sites. South Africa has for decades been a medical research powerhouse, yet its stature has been little known to people outside the field. South Africa's scientists have been responsible for key breakthroughs against major global killers, including heart disease, H.I.V. and respiratory viruses such as Covid-19. They have worked closely with American researchers and have been awarded more research funding from the United States than any other country has received. But a swift series of executive orders and budget cuts from the Trump administration have, in a matter of months, demolished this research ecosystem. There are grim ramifications for human health worldwide, and also for pharmaceutical companies, including American giants such as Pfizer, Merck, Abbott and Gilead Sciences, which rely heavily on South Africa's research complex when they develop and test new drugs, vaccines and treatments. 'South Africa is the beacon,' said Dr. Harold Varmus, a professor of medicine at Cornell University who was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for his work on cancer biology and who was a director of the National Institutes of Health. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
News.com.au
20-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
‘Game-changing' NSW medical accelerator to break ground in Sydney's inner-west
A world-class biomedical accelerator which will house more than 1200 researchers and clinician scientists will break ground in Sydney's inner-west. The $780m Sydney Biomedical Accelerator in Camperdown will break ground on Wednesday morning, three years ahead of its planned opening in 2028. The facility will span the University of Sydney and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, and will bring together biology and medicine disciplines to 'fast-track' scientific discovery. Health Minister Ryan Park said the research and education complex would 'change the game' when it came to research into medical diagnostics and treatments in Australia. 'Benchmarked against the world's leading biomedical facilities, the Accelerator is set to change the landscape of medical research and I hope it becomes a major drawcard for world class health researchers. 'Cutting-edge laboratories will empower researchers to accelerate the discovery of cures and treatments for a wide range of diseases, driving medical breakthroughs with greater speed and precision.' Australian-owned Richard Crookes Constructions will build the facility, which will include two new biomedical research buildings over eight level and a bridge connecting the university with the hospital. Connecting the two will enable 'seamless exchange of knowledge from lab to bedside', including clinical trials, and would help turn discoveries into patient outcomes. 'We know that for NSW to be a world leader in medical research we need to continue to foster collaboration across government, health, industry and academia,' Medical Health Minister David Harris said. 'By bringing together scientists, clinicians and innovators under one roof, we're laying the foundation for discoveries that will shape the future of healthcare in this country and across the globe.' University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Mark Scott AO described the Sydney Biomedical Accelerator as 'a bold step forward in Australia's research and development landscape'. 'What makes it unique is its integration of world-class research with innovation, commercial translation, and real-world clinical outcomes,' he said. 'It will be a place for discovery – but also one where ideas transform into impact, accelerating solutions from the lab bench to the bedside and beyond.' The Accelerator will include laboratory and collaboration spaces for researchers clinicians and the industry, including an innovation and start-up hub. It will also feature a hi-tech biobank – a storage facility for tissue samples, cells, blood, and DNA – high-performing computing, precision medicine, surgery and anatomy research and teaching, core research facilities for microscopy, preclinical imaging, drug discovery, protein production and purification, and spaces for clinical trials.
