All Time High Milton Moraes and the end of Leprosy
Dec 14, 2021
Milton Moraes, an associate researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, specializes in leprosy research and tropical diseases. He shares his journey from intern to lab head, emphasizing the challenges of developing diagnostic tools over 15 years. The conversation dives into the urgent need for antibiotic innovation, the rising threat of pandemics, and how integrated solutions can tackle both old and new diseases. Milton advocates for funding vaccines that may not yield profit, highlighting the importance of health preparedness for a better future.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
From Teen to Lab Head
- Milton Moraes moved from a curious teen in Rio to lead the Leprosy Laboratory at Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.
- He supervised a master's project that began a 15-year effort culminating in a registered GMP leprosy PCR diagnostic kit.
Translational Research Needs Production Capacity
- Translational research thrives when clinical care, diagnostics and production are co-located.
- Oswaldo Cruz Foundation's production capacity enabled moving a lab assay to a GMP-registered kit.
Antibiotics Face Market Failure
- Antimicrobial resistance is a looming public-health crisis with massive mortality by 2050.
- Private markets underinvest in antibiotics because they are not sufficiently lucrative.
