Govt in talks with Nobel Laureate, cancer expert on forming scientific advisory council

…to advise President Ali on matters of science & medicine

The Government of Guyana is in talks with 2018 Nobel Laureate and Scientist, Professor James Allison, as well as Guyanese born Professor Padmanee Sharma, on forming a presidential advisory council that will advise on matters of science and medicine.
President Dr Irfaan Ali hosted the two United States (US) based scholars at State House on Tuesday, where they discussed the formation of this council. Professor Allison, who is a scientist in the field of cancer research and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, explained that they have already agreed to work with the President and build this advisory team.

“I had a conversation with the President about how to bring medical education and vaccine development to Guyana. So, we agreed to work with him and build a team to try to do that and bring these things to the people of Guyana.”
“We discussed setting up a council of science and medicine, to discuss some of the ideas about building a medical school and an MD PhD programme here in Guyana, for training bright students of Guyana,” the Professor said.
According to him, the conversation went well and the President shared his ideas on vaccine and drug development in Guyana. According to Professor Allison, once implemented this would bring Guyana into the mainstream when it comes to modern technology and medicine.
Meanwhile, Professor Sharma subsequently confirmed to this publication that the council is being formulated even now and that both Guyanese and overseas-based experts are expected to be included.
Discussions were also had on how to further develop medicine and science programmes in Guyana. Both Professors Allison and Sharma are in Guyana under the non-profit foundation—Abraham’s Tent, through which a school in Berbice was recently constructed.
“It was a wonderful conversation, where we were able to discuss what his vision is for the people of Guyana and what his vision is for the infrastructure of medicine and science in Guyana, and how we can contribute to that based on our experience and research in science and medicine,” Professor Sharma, a Professor in Oncology and Immunology, explained.
“We would be honoured to be able to work with the President in Guyana, to help put together a science and medicine programme, not just in primary and secondary education, but also in a medical school setting where we could also bring in people in Guyana and foreign students to come to Guyana and train,” Professor Sharma said.
The Professor explained that they have been doing work on developing cancer immuno drugs for patients. She noted that their research work has led them to education and the question of how to get medical and graduate students more involved in research.
Dr Allison is presently the regental Professor and Chair of the Immunology Department at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is also the Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Research and the Deputy Director for David H. Koch Center for Applied Research for Genitourinary cancers.
His 2018 Nobel Prize, which he shared with Dr Tasuku Honjo, related to a breakthrough they made in the emerging field of immune checkpoint blockade therapy for cancer. Their work led to the development of ipilimumab, the first immune checkpoint blockade therapy approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
Dr Sharma is a recipient of the Emil Frei III Award for excellence in translational research, as well as the Coley Award for Distinguished Research for Tumour Immunology, which she won in 2018. She also won the Women in Science with Excellence award in 2020, among other awards. She is currently a Professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The Guyana Government is presently building several state-of-the-art health facilities across Guyana. There has even been talk of a stem cell facility. In 2021, the sod was turned for a new $2 billion multi-specialty hospital, to be constructed in Suddie on the Essequibo Coast.
In July of last year, the Government partnered with New York-based Mount Sinai Health System and Hess Corporation with the intention of transforming Guyana’s healthcare into a world class service that will provide accessible and affordable service not only for Guyanese citizens but also the Caribbean Region. (G3)