Manuel Elkin Patarroyo
Encyclopedia
Manuel Elkin Patarroyo (born November 3, 1946) is a Colombia
n pathologist who made the world's first attempt of synthetic
vaccine
for malaria
, a disease transmitted by mosquitoes that affects millions of people in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. The vaccine candidate, first developed in 1987, was evaluated in clinical trials carried out by the WHO
in Gambia, Tanzania
and Thailand
, and had mixed results. In 2009, a comprehensive Cochrane
review assessed the SPf66 as being not efficacious in Africa and Asia, and as having a low but statistically significant efficacy of 28% in South America. Today, after more than 33 years of research, the SPf66 malaria vaccine is not recommended for prophylaxis of malaria and is listed as "inactive" by the WHO
.
, received a scholarship to Yale University
, and subsequently received his PhD from Rockefeller University
in New York
.
He was working on improving the vaccine at the Instituto Nacional de Inmunología based in the Hospital San Juan de Dios
in Bogotá
, Colombia. Unfortunately, lack of government funding and mismanagement led to the bankruptcy of the Hospital San Juan de Dios and therefore to the relocation of his lab. After having worked for more than two decades at the Hospital San Juan de Dios, Dr. Patarroyo could not deter the demise of this very important Colombian teaching hospital.
Dr. Patarroyo has been criticized by the scientific community in Colombia for being the recipient of a disproportionate share of the scarce funds that the government allocates for scientific research.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n pathologist who made the world's first attempt of synthetic
Synthetic vaccine
A synthetic vaccine is a vaccine consisting mainly of synthetic peptides, carbohydrates, or antigens. They are usually considered to be safer than vaccines from bacterial cultures.-History:...
vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
for malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, a disease transmitted by mosquitoes that affects millions of people in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. The vaccine candidate, first developed in 1987, was evaluated in clinical trials carried out by the WHO
Who
Who may refer to:* Who , an English-language pronoun* who , a Unix command* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism- Art and entertainment :* Who? , a 1958 novel by Algis Budrys...
in Gambia, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and had mixed results. In 2009, a comprehensive Cochrane
Cochrane Library
The Cochrane Library is a collection of databases in medicine and other healthcare specialties provided by the Cochrane Collaboration and other organisations. At its core is the collection of Cochrane Reviews, a database of systematic reviews and meta-analyses which summarize and interpret the...
review assessed the SPf66 as being not efficacious in Africa and Asia, and as having a low but statistically significant efficacy of 28% in South America. Today, after more than 33 years of research, the SPf66 malaria vaccine is not recommended for prophylaxis of malaria and is listed as "inactive" by the WHO
Who
Who may refer to:* Who , an English-language pronoun* who , a Unix command* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism- Art and entertainment :* Who? , a 1958 novel by Algis Budrys...
.
Biography
Patarroyo studied medicine at the National University of ColombiaNational University of Colombia
The Universidad Nacional de Colombia , also called UNAL or just UN, is a public, national, coeducational, research university, located primarily in Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales and Palmira, Colombia...
, received a scholarship to Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, and subsequently received his PhD from Rockefeller University
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
He was working on improving the vaccine at the Instituto Nacional de Inmunología based in the Hospital San Juan de Dios
Hospital San Juan de Dios
Hospital San Juan de Dios is the name of several hospitals in the Republic of Colombia. The most important are located in Bogotá, Cúcuta and Pamplona.The one of Cúcuta is now a library....
in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia. Unfortunately, lack of government funding and mismanagement led to the bankruptcy of the Hospital San Juan de Dios and therefore to the relocation of his lab. After having worked for more than two decades at the Hospital San Juan de Dios, Dr. Patarroyo could not deter the demise of this very important Colombian teaching hospital.
Dr. Patarroyo has been criticized by the scientific community in Colombia for being the recipient of a disproportionate share of the scarce funds that the government allocates for scientific research.
External links
- Structural and Immunological Principles Leading to Chemically Synthesized, Multiantigenic, Multistage, Minimal Subunit-Based Vaccine Development, abstract of article in Chemical Reviews, from de American Chemical Society.
- Emerging Rules for Subunit-Based, Multiantigenic, Multistage Chemically Synthesized Vaccines, abstract of article in Accounts of Chemical Research, from the American Chemical Society.
- Toward A New Generation Of Vaccines For Malaria And Other Diseases in 'Science Daily'.
- Race for Malaria Money
- Scientists Herald Malaria Breakthrough
- Heroes: Manuel Patarroyo
- Guardian Unlimited: Scientist whose dream of beating disease came true
- Tables of Malaria Vaccine Projects