Costa Rica is known as a "hot spot" of biodiversity. Experts estimate that around 5 per cent of our planet's species are present in Costa Rica. This diversity harbours a huge number of unknown natural substances, which might be suitable to produce drugs or at least leading structures. Gerd Folkers, ETH professor at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences is naturally aware of this potential. As the researcher explained at last Tuesday's press conference, the highly specific drugs needed today have mostly very complex structures and these can only develop in a complex environment. It is, therefore, extremely important to collect the needed substances in their natural environment. This why ETH researchers from the area of drugs discovery and development decided to collaborate with the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio) (1). With its mission to heighten awareness and foster greater understanding of the value of biodiversity, the institute in Costa Rica is a knowledgeable and ideal partner.

Virtual discussions

But how is close collaboration to be realised between two institutes that are geographically so far apart? This question becomes acute if one wants to analyse the data together and not leave the collecting of samples to the southern partners and the rest of the work to their counterparts in the north. The solution is a virtual room, which is equally near for both partners and in which they can set up a common laboratory where primary data can be studied by all. ETH Zurich already has just such a room in the form of the "Vireal Lab" (2)(3). This communication platform will shortly give INBio researchers, and at a later date other institutions in developing countries, direct access to ETH's sophisticated technology.

The search for new drugs

In the project "Bioprospecting and Profiling Centre" INBio and ETH will work together in the following way. INBio sends samples of its comprehensive biological material to the BioProfil centre in Zurich. These will be analysed in a (still to be constructed) multi-functional Medium-Throughput-System (MTS). On one hand, the activity of extracts and pure substances will be tested on a variety of tumours in this automated laboratory and, on the other, investigation carried out regarding their influence on the expression of important genes. In a third test system the resorption of substances can be examined, because potential drugs not only have to have a potent effect but their absorption by the organism must also be ensured.

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Analysing data together

Such of the samples as show promising biological activity will then be analysed using established chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. The relevant substances will be isolated and characterised. All gathered data will be entered into the common database and can then be analysed in the Vireal Lab by both parties simultaneously. When a researcher turns a virtual structure on the screen in Zurich the partner in Costa Rica sees this immediately and can carry out a manipulation which can then be further discussed in this expanded form of video conference. Researchers can, of course, also use the data to study other things, by comparing them, for example, with known ecological data. Apart from the realisation of MTS, until this can happen researchers also need to be trained, and the Vireal Lab infrastructure itself needs to be put into place in Costa Rica. According to Folkers, this should not pose any insurmountable problems as all components for participation in the Vireal Lab are commercially available.

Exemplary project

The long-term vision of this project, for which ETH signs a declaration of intent this week, is an extension of co-operation with institutes in other developing countries. This network, which allows know-how and technology to flow to developing countries, also makes resources available to Switzerland to search for drugs, which are not otherwise available, or most probably be irretrievably lost if no encouragement is extended to developing countries them. Costa Rica's ambassador, Isabel Montero De la Cámara, who was present at the press conference, expressed the hope that this project would prove to be exemplary with its "spirit of genuine co-operation".