Bridging the continental divide
Monday, July 26, 2010
By Joe Boomgaard | LabWork - MiBiz
GRAND RAPIDS — With technology, almost anything is possible. In the case of Bin Tean Teh, distinguished scientific investigator at Van Andel Research Institute, technology makes it possible for him to span two continents simultaneously in the pursuit of significant gains in cancer research.
Teh, a native of Malaysia who has been at VARI since 2000, splits his time between labs in both Singapore and Grand Rapids, but he’s never more than a click or call away from his colleagues in either country.
“It’s true the world really is flat,” Teh told LabWork. “People see the opportunities. Science is science — a discovery can be found here or there, and we can all contribute to the research.”
In some sense, the globalization of scientific research is an example of the research community taking a cue from captains of industry, he said. Science now spans many borders just like global manufacturers do, and increasingly, that type of cross-border collaboration is favored by grant-making bodies like the National Institutes of Health.
“We have to be very open-minded about these things, as long as we have good IP protection,” he said. “We already know more institutions have set up shop overseas. This is nothing new, it’s just that we are in the beginning of the program. We hope that international developments will be a big focus of this institute.”
Teh said the type of liver cancer at the center of much of his research is more common in the East than in North America, so being present in Singapore also opens up more easy access to tissue samples. It’s also a cancer that hits home at Van Andel Institute since Dr. Christian Helmus, a past trustee, died from the disease.
The particular liver cancer he studies is related to the bile duct inside the organ and is believed to be caused by a common parasite in the poor, agrarian cultures in Asia, especially in Thailand, Teh said. The research is aimed at identifying key drug targets for the bile duct cancer.
“If we can find a cure or (develop) cheap drugs, we can help a lot of poor people,” he said. “These people can’t afford $2 worth of treatment. From the humanitarian ground, we’d feel very satisfied if we can help. It’s not something that we want to make millions on. By understanding the biology of the cancer, we can also have a chance to understand the biology of the same cancer in this country and perhaps find something for our own patients. It will not just benefit people there, but it will also benefit people here. It’s important to understand that. Science is so pervasive, and we always take advantage of that knowledge.”
With easy Internet connectivity, Teh is able to monitor any of his labs and hold daily briefings with his colleagues no matter what his location may be. In fact, he said he often finds that he spends perhaps slightly more time with the people on the other side of the globe — whether he’s in Grand Rapids or Singapore — just to ensure all is running smoothly. And he’s not the only one to travel across continents for research. In the past, several scientists from his lab in Singapore have come to Grand Rapids to do research.
He stressed that the cross-continental research model works efficiently and cost-effectively. For example, some of the researchers in his lab at the National Cancer Centre of Singapore are college students there at no cost.
“It’s important for any renowned institution to have a strong international presence,” Teh said. “Everyone in the world knows Harvard, but (it might take us) 50 or 60 year’s time, maybe. Our leadership has put a great emphasis on international networking and collaboration.
“If you look at the economic point of view, research is an expensive undertaking. I think it’s good that other countries are putting money into research so the whole burden doesn’t fall on this government. The lab in Singapore is funded by the government there. It’s good for everybody. If all the research were done in one country, it would be a huge burden.”
