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Paul Ngewa, new academician of the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy

The director of the Institute of Tropical Health of the University of Navarra warned about the scientific imbalance in the study of the "neglected diseases" during the inauguration of the position

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Paul Ngewa
PHOTO: Manuel Castells
10/12/14 12:31 Miriam Salcedo

Paul Nguewa, director of the Institute of Tropical Health of the University of Navarra, has been appointed academician of the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy.

During the inauguration of his position, the expert pointed out that"the shortage of scientists in the main areas affected by the so-called 'neglected diseases' (dengue, rabies, trachoma, leprosy, among others) causes a scientific imbalance between the people affected and the interest of science".

In this regard, he highlighted that between 1992 and 2011"almost 195,000 papers were published on diabetes, which affects 346 million people, while less than 11,000 articles were devoted to parasitic pathologies that affect more than 1 billion people."

According to Paul Nguewa, there are "fewer than 1,000 researchers per million inhabitants" on the African continent. Moreover, of the 17 "neglected" diseases considered a priority by the World Health Organization, between 500 and 1,200 articles are produced annually on 5 of them and less than 400 articles on the other 12. Therefore, "the scientific attention given to tropical pathologies is clearly insufficient and could be improved," he added.

Effective weapon against poverty

Finally, he explained how the promotion of degree program research, the search for scientific talent and the realization of quality science are challenges, but also "effective weapons to face the problems of development and poverty".

Paul Nguewa holds a Master's Degree in Biotechnology and a European PhD in Pharmacy. He has been researcher of the Center for Molecular Biology "Severo Ochoa"-CSIC-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, of the department of Parasitology, Ecology and Genetics of the University of La Laguna (Spain), of the Research Unit for Tropical Diseases, University of Louvain (Belgium), and of the Center research Applied Medicine of the University of Navarra, among others.

Author of publications and several projects of research, he currently directs the Institute of Tropical Health of the University of Navarra and teaches at the department of Microbiology-Parasitology of the academic center. He is also advisor of international institutions dedicated to training, teaching, research and health promotion

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