A Professor of Virology, Sunday Omilabu, has urged government to invest in biotechnology, saying it can be used for innovation in stem cell research and immunisation, among other benefits.
Omilabu added that the technology had made it possible for vaccines to be delivered to beneficiaries through fruits, thereby reducing the costs of producing needles and syringes used to give vaccines in many developing countries.
The expert who diagnosed the first case of Ebola in the country said this on Wednesday during a seminar in Lagos. The programme was organised by Katchey, a life science equipment company, in partnership with Thermo Fisher in Lagos.
“We shouldn’t expect other countries to help us to fight our local problems. This is the more reason we must give priority to biotechnology in the country. It can help us to solve some stem cell issues. For instance, a number of vaccines are now produced in fruits; we don’t need to give injections. They can be put in oranges, bananas and other fruits, and when one eats them, one becomes immunised,’’ he said.
In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer, Katchey, Mrs. Kate Isa, urged governments at all levels to stop the dependence on oil and diversify the economy. She said biotechnology could provide solutions to a number of crime-related issues, breakthroughs in the health sector and contribute to the earnings of the country.
“There is a lot life science can achieve for Nigeria, including in areas of medicine, pharmaceutical and food sciences, agriculture, among others. Less than 50 per cent of universities and research institutes are involved in life science research. Government and stakeholders should give it priority funding.
“Over the years our government has been looking to oil for money, but biotechnology is an untapped area it must look into. Let us set up well-funded research and laboratories. How many of our universities are doing research and coming out with products that we can market? We need these products,” she said.
PUNCH.
