The Role of Technology in Drug Development
Biophysicist Maria Freire draws inspiration from her work which involves putting more emphasis on developing drugs for underserved populations than on chasing profits.
Published December 1, 2009
By Maria Freire
As told to Abigail Jeffries
I was born and raised in Lima, Peru, where my extended family lives. After attending university in Lima, where I received my bachelor’s degree, I came to the US on a Fulbright Foundation scholarship to pursue my doctorate in biophysics at the University of Virginia. It was my good fortune to be able to remain in the US and to embark upon what some considered a peculiar career path.
The journey began when I went to Capitol Hill as a Congressional Science Fellow from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. I worked in the offices of then-Congressman Norm Mineta, who was on the Science and Technology Committee, and Senator Jay Rockefeller. In this context, I realized that a piece of legislation called the Federal Technology Transfer Act was moving forward.
This legislation allowed government laboratories to protect their intellectual property and encouraged the commercialization of these inventions. The Bayh-Dole Act had already been passed to allow universities and businesses to retain title to intellectual property developed with federal funds and to license their rights to for-profit entities. Through exposure to these complementary acts, I began to understand the transformational potential of technology transfer.
A Serendipitous Path
After finishing my fellowship on the Hill, the University of Maryland, Baltimore, recruited me to help start the new Graduate School. It was there that after a couple of years I let them know that I wanted to focus on the up-and-coming field of technology transfer. Surprised, my boss asked, “What do you know about patents?” I confessed that I didn’t actually know anything about them, but they gave me the chance and I established the university’s first Office of Technology Development. It’s that kind of serendipitous path–a non-traditional approach to science–that leads to unexpected opportunities. I learned an enormous amount, and I loved it.
From there, I went to the US National Institutes of Health where I directed the Office of Technology Transfer. I was responsible for the development and implementation of technology transfer policies and procedures for the Department of Health and Human Services, and for the patenting and licensing activities for NIH and the Food and Drug Administration. This was a fabulous position, at a remarkable point in history, tackling thorny issues such as the patenting of human genes, which few had thought about before.
The Most Successful Technology Transfer Operation
At NIH, I wanted to assess success not only using financial metrics, but also on the impact a commercial application or the transfer of technology would have on the population. When it came down to a decision between having NIH earn more royalties on technology it had developed versus allowing the technology to move forward and benefit people, the decision was very clear.
At the end of the day, this was technology the taxpayers had funded, and the benefit to the taxpayers was to make sure the new drug, vaccine, or diagnostic tool was available to them. I am pleased to say we were able to achieve this balance, making OTT the most successful technology transfer operation in the US government.
The transfer of technology for cancer or diabetes or other indications for which there was a large, profitable commercial market, was entirely feasible. However, we couldn’t manage to give away technology associated with indications like malaria or cholera, in spite of the huge impact these would have on global health. I found this extremely frustrating.
In 2001 when the opportunity arose to work on developing a drug for tuberculosis, I left NIH and became the first CEO of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development. There were three of us, we had a seed grant of $15 million from the Rockefeller Foundation. Over six years, we grew to a team of about 40 people with over $200 million and the support of U.S. and European governments and the Gates Foundation. This was no longer technology transfer; it was the development of drugs for an underserved population, and it was inspirational.
What’s Next?
Once the TB Alliance was poised to succeed, I wondered, “What’s next?” That’s when the Lasker Foundation knocked on my door. At Lasker, I can look at science from the perspective of what has been accomplished and the gaps that still exist, and I can try to focus the right sources and support on what science can do that’s transformational. Lasker presents awards through a juried process—an extraordinary panel consisting of 25 scientists, many Lasker or Nobel Laureates or both—aimed at identifying accomplishments that have profoundly influenced a scientific field and by honoring scientific, clinical, and public service careers that leave us in awe.
Lasker is usually first at recognizing such outstanding work; scientists tend to get the Nobel Prize after they have received the Lasker, and if one wins the Lasker, he or she has been vetted by the brightest in the world. The Lasker Foundation illuminates the paths of where things came from and where we believe they have the potential to go. Part of my interest is in trying to present the excitement and the transformational potential of biomedical science to the next generation of students, through increased funding of biomedical science, through the example of our Lasker Laureates, and through identifying areas of science with global impact on which we have not yet shone an appropriate light.
A Non-Traditional Route
When I was growing up, the expectation was for scientists to go into academia. Early on I realized this was not the route I wanted to take. Now scientists have the option of going into a vast number of fields, from biotechnology to the computer industry—there are many alternative possibilities. My career choices seemed odd for the times, but for me it wasn’t difficult to take this non-traditional route; it made all the sense in the world.
Also read: The Evolution of an Environmental Scientist
About the Authors
Marie Freier is the President of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundaton. She has been an Academy member since 2005 and holds a Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of Virgina. She has received a Fulbright Fellowship, two US Congressional Science Fellowships, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service, the 1999 Arthur S. Flemming Award, and the 2002 Bayh-Dole Award In her free time she enjoys furniture refinishing and mystery novels.
Abigail Jeffries is a freelance health and science reporter based in Tolland, CT.
