INCT-IBISAB Future Plans and Prospects

Based on its original design, the INCT-IBISAB surpassed several goals in this first year of activities, especially in terms of scientific productivity and training of human resources. Furthermore, the sum of new international networks born from scientific and technological collaborations, such as RECODISA and MAL_ED, amplified and allowed several biomarkers launching, including two bio-products based on transgenic milk goats and several molecular biomarkers for the sensitive and specific diagnosis for infantile diarrhea causal agents.

These collaboration networks have also provided biomarkers for intestinal inflammation, enteropathy, mal-absorption, permeability and intestinal damage. Regarding training on human resources we exceeded some of the goals originally outlined for the future. The IBISAB also helped to create the new postgraduate course between UFC and UFRJ. In this perspective, we have now, early in the second year of activities, the INCT-IBISAB external call announcement for scholarships provided by CNPq that will give significant support towards highly qualified human resources. In the area of bioinformatics we launched web pages with interactive database for multi-centers, thereby increasing our ability to communicate and with research crosstalk and collaborations in local, national and international levels. The database platform developed by the INCT-IBISAB also has inspired models for other recent international networks such as MAL_ED and RECODISA. Also during the first year of activities, we organized and held two international events of significant impact in science and technology, the V International Symposium XIV in Biomedicine and Tropical Medicine Research Center and International Collaborative Infectious Diseases Research meetings.

These indicators assure us confidence that we are on the right track to better develop and expand originally planned goals for the INCT-IBISAB. Our adopted website agenda for multi-user laboratories allows the rational use of a modern infrastructure and high technology imaging available to the full development of the proposed activities. Some of the multi-user laboratories are already being successfully utilized during this first year and others are in advanced stage, as described above. The CNPq provided resources for the INCT- IBISAB rapidly and efficiently in order to hasten the management and development of our planned activities as needed. Although barriers and challenges as to deal with bureaucratic inertia for equipment and supplies purchase, such pitfalls did not compromise the full achievement of goals reached in this first year, as shown in this current report. Even so and beyond our INCT-IBISAB range, delays of more than twelve months in the legal process of patent transfer and acquisition were seen, thus slowing-down the goals for developing new products from them. We understand that the next activities and budget will give us far greater support for the next following years to foster more scientific productivity, biotechnology and training of human resources, and therefore will broaden the development of biomarkers and bio-products toward the quality of life across the Brazilian Semiarid.