QB3 Malaysia Program
About
Our Vision
The term “neglected diseases” refers to all human diseases in which there is little or no commercial interest. Western pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies believe that they cannot recover returns from these diseases commensurate with development costs. In practice, neglected diseases predominantly affect populations in the developing world. We foresee that diseases neglected by the west can become commercially viable targets for emerging economies like Malaysia, if they can deploy a less expensive but technically sophisticated work force to implement development at a cost that moves many diseases out of the neglected category.
Our Background
To realize this vision, the Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation has entered into a partnership with the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) to start an exciting new research program to train outstanding Malaysian researchers and entrepreneurs. We hope that this program will represent a new model for capacity building that will help emerging economies build a biotechnology industry that will generate innovation in the field of neglected diseases.
QB3 as a partner to developing nations
“QB3 acts as a partner to help emerging economies like Malaysia experience the same successes in the life sciences that the U.S. has enjoyed over the last 20 years. The QB3 Malaysia Program is an integral part of QB3's efforts to advance global health, forge international collaborations and address neglected diseases.
We hope that our participants will establish lasting relationships with each other and share their knowledge and experiences while establishing key international networks for the future.”
Malaysian Biotech Corp
The Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (Biotech Corp) is a Malaysian agency established to act as a one-stop-centre to nurture and accelerate the growth of Malaysian biotechnology companies and to create an environment conducive to the development of biotechnology. For more details on Biotech Corp, click here.
Malaysian Institute of Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals
The Malaysian Institute of Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals is one of the newly established key institutes that will drive the healthcare biotechnology initiatives under the Malaysian Biotechnology Policy. The role of the institute is to jump-start and sustain the global competitiveness of the Malaysian biopharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries.
UCSF
The University of California, San Francisco is a leading university that advances health worldwide by conducting advanced biomedical research, educating graduate students in the life sciences and health professions, and providing complex patient care. It is well known for its scientific discoveries and the companies that its technologies, faculty and students have spawned.
For more details on UCSF, click here.
QB3
The California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) is a cooperative effort among three campuses of the University of California - UCSF, UC Berkeley, and UC Santa Cruz.
QB3 harnesses the quantitative sciences to integrate our understanding of biological systems at all levels of complexity - from atoms and protein molecules to cells, tissues, organs and the entire organism. This long-sought integration allows scientists to attack problems that have been simply unapproachable before, setting the stage for fundamental new discoveries, new products and new technologies for the benefit of human health.
The Institute builds on strengths in the engineering and physical sciences at UC Berkeley, engineering and mathematical sciences at UC Santa Cruz, and the medical sciences at UC San Francisco, as well as strong biology programs at the three campuses.
For more details on QB3, click here.
Photo: QB3 facilities at UCSF Mission Bay campus
Our Strengths
Located in the Bay Area, California, QB3 enables Malaysian participants to benefit from close collaboration with top UCSF and QB3 faculty, access to UCSF and QB3’s world-class facilities, and extensive networking opportunities with Silicon Valley venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.
QB3 has three state-of-the-art facilities, and world-class expertise in various areas of the life sciences that could potentially benefit Malaysian researchers. These include imaging, pharmacological modeling, bioinformatics, synthetic biology, drug delivery, structural biology, chemical biology, systems biology and metabolomics.
QB3 taps into the resources of three of the world’s leading universities—UCSF, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz. With over 180 research labs, these three universities boast 182 faculty affiliates, 20 American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows, 16 American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows, 16 Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators, Members of the National Academy of Sciences, 25 Sloan Research Fellows, and 4 MacArthur Fellows. UC also tops the annual list of universities receiving U.S. patents each year.
From left: QB3 facilities at UCSF, UC Berkeley, and UCSC
What We Offer
Our program includes the following three components:
- Graduate and Post-Doctoral Research Program
- Short-Term Research Program
- Global Bio-Entrepreneurship Course
Graduate and Post-Doctoral Research Program
This program supports Malaysian Ph.D. students for up to 5 years upon demonstration of satisfactory progress toward receipt of the Ph.D. degree. Postdoctoral fellows will usually be supported for three years. For more details, see Research.
Short-Term Research Program
This program supports up to 2 Malaysian participants per year from academia or industry for not more than one year. Participants will collaborate with UCSF faculty on a research project that is both specific and achievable within a short time frame. For more details, see Research.
Global Bio-entrepreneurship Course
A one-week comprehensive course in bio-entrepreneurship tailored to the needs of professionals situated in countries with emerging biotechnology industries. The course provides a content-rich overview of the life sciences industry, entrepreneurship and venture financing. It incorporates cases and projects throughout the course to build the skills and expertise of the individuals to become leaders in their opportunity areas. For more details, see Global Bio-Entrepreneurship.
Our Mission
Graduate and Post-Doctoral Research Program
- Development of novel diagnostic systems for infectious diseases.
- Discovery of lead compounds against infectious diseases
- Development of novel screening methods to identify bio-active compounds in natural products and traditional medicines.
Short-Term Research Program
- Increase collaboration between researchers in Malaysia and researchers in UCSF and QB3.
- Expose Malaysian university faculty and researchers to novel methodologies developed at UCSF and QB3.
- Provide visiting Malaysian scientists with networking opportunities with Bay Area Biotechnology entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.
Global Bio-entrepreneurship Course
- Equip bio-entrepreneurs with skills necessary to bring scientific discovery from bench to market
- Equip bio-investors with the skills necessary to distinguish and nurture successful young biotechnology companies.
- Provide networking opportunities with Bay Area biotechnology entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.